Some of the most beautiful weapons in Final Fantasy XIV are hidden behind quite a bit of grind: the relic weapons. One player is now proudly showcasing their haul on Reddit. But the community says they should destroy them right away.
What has the player achieved? In the base game as well as in every expansion of Final Fantasy XIV, there are the so-called relic weapons. These are beautiful weapon designs with special glow effects. Traditionally, grinding is required to obtain them.
On Reddit, a player has now posted that she is the proud owner of all relic weapons from A Realm Reborn, meaning all Zodiac weapons. Specifically, this grind took weeks, if not months, just a few years ago.
Despite the now increased drop rates for the required items, it is still no walk in the park and a significant achievement to have all 11 available weapons: According to the community, it still takes about 20 hours on average per weapon.
In the comments, players agree. However, some say she should destroy the weapons right away.
One grind finished, let’s go grinding
Why should she destroy the weapons? In fact, the commentators on Reddit are not wrong. The final stage of the Zodiac weapons is Zeta. Which can be used to obtain the first stage of the Heavensward weapons directly..
If you turn in a Zodiac Zeta weapon to an NPC, you receive this first stage in return. This way, you avoid the lengthy grinding of FATEs (time-limited, recurring events in the world) in various Heavensward areas. The remaining steps to the final, fully upgraded weapon still need to be completed, of course.
Is it worth it? Yes – if done correctly: The Zodiac weapons at level 50 and the Anima weapons at level 60 are now completely out of date and only useful as decorations (glamour). However, when you turn in your weapon, it is immediately exchanged for another one that also looks different. So if you want to use the Zodiac weapon as glamour, you should keep it.
However, if you mainly just want to get rid of it and want to complete the next stage faster, this can be a good compromise.
However, anyone who goes to the NPC Drake in the North Forest with the finished, final Zeta weapon in their inventory at coordinates X 30.3 and Y 20.1 can unlock the purchase of the individual stages and secure a replica. Afterwards, the original Zeta weapon itself is theoretically useless and can easily be exchanged for the Anima weapon. The decorative version can then be repurchased at any time when needed.
So if you want to continue with the Heavensward relic weapons, exchanging them is definitely worth it, especially if you unlock the glamour versions with NPC Drake beforehand.
By the way, the current version of the relic weapons is again tied to a field excursion, just like in Stormblood and Shadowbringers. However, players criticize the phantom weapons for exactly what made the early relics so desirable: the grind. Moreover, the game is currently receiving more negative feedback from the community in general: Final Fantasy XIV is in decline and even the director sees it – speaks of a “misstep in development”, wants to improve
