Final Fantasy XIV‘s latest expansion Endwalker, released earlier in December, introduced high-end content with two Extreme trials: Zodiark’s Fall and Hydaelyn’s Call.
Extreme trials are less challenging to complete than Savage and Unreal content such as Shadowbringers‘ Eden raids. But it is still an ample test of your skills, featuring staple mechanics like tank-busters, stack and spread attacks, and DPS checks.
Hydaelyn’s Call is the harder of both Extreme trials released with patch 6.0, and is the perfect time to figure out if you truly mastered your job after reaching level 90.
The trial also rewards players with the best weapon in the game in patch 6.0, the weapons of the Divine Light with an item level of 580, as well as the Lynx of the Divine Light mount.
Here are all Hydaelyn’s attacks explained in chronological order.
Hydaelyn’s Call Extreme trial guide in FFXIV’s Endwalker
Before going through Hydaelyn’s attacks, one key mechanic must be explained. Hydaelyn channels the power of the elements in the form of crystals through the fight. This is similar to previous content, like the Eden’s Promise: Eternity raid from Shadowbringers.
When channeling the attack Crystallize, Hydaelyn will either choose Water, Ice, or Earth to unleash her next attack. If the element is Water, players must divide in two groups and soak the damage four by four. If it’s ice, they must all spread, similar to Shiva’s fights. When it’s Earth, they’ll have to stack as eight, similar to Titan’s fights. Also, the attack always resolves after one another, so you have to be aware of each element, resolve the next attack, and then adjust your position to soak the elemental damage.
Here are Hydaelyn’s mechanics in chronological order.
First Phase
- Hero’s Radiance: group-wide AoE.
- Shining Saber: hard-hitting AoE that must be stacked by the entire group.
- Crystallize: keep in mind the element she chose. It will resolve after her next move. If you struggle to see the surrounding element, focus on the sound she makes.
- Hydaelyn summons two symbols floating around her, with three possible colors. This mechanic will resolve before Crystallize.
- Red means she’ll cast an AoE around her. Stand near her to avoid it.
- Green means she’ll cast an AoE under her. Run far from her to avoid this one.
- Blue means she’ll hit the ground in cardinal lines. The safe spots are in between the cardinals.
- In the video above, she channels the Water element and summons Green sigils, which means the players must run far from the center, then stack as two equal groups.
- Magos’s Radiance: group-wide AoE.
- Lateral Aureole or Aureole: if she casts Lateral Aureole, stand in the north or south sides. If it’s the other, stand towards east or west.
- Crystallize: she will always cast a different element and sigil from a color than the first ones.
- Mousa’s Scorn: a tank-buster that must be shared by both tanks.
- Lateral Aureole or Aureole.
- Crystallize: the third cast will be the only color that hasn’t popped before.
Second Phase
Six crystals will appear around her, making Hydaelyn invulnerable to all attacks. They must be destroyed before the Conviction gauge reaches 100 percent or you’ll wipe. Two hard-hitting adds will appear and should be taken by each tank.
The tanks must drag the adds on the opposite side of the other players, because they reinforce the crystals that are near them. The DPS should focus the glowing crystals first, because they fill the gauge faster.
Then, rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise, depending on the party, to destroy each crystal one by one. After this phase, she’ll cast a group-wide AoE and change the platform back to its initial appearance.
Third Phase
- Halo: group-wide AoE.
- Lightwave: summon four crystals, as well as two tides that will flow in a straight line.
- You’ll receive significant damage if you step in the waves, so avoid them at all costs.
- This part is tricky, because the waves will splash and deal significant damage on the entire platform when hitting each crystal (three hits in total). To avoid the damage, you must hide behind another crystal, which will protect you.
- The trick is to identify which wave will hit a crystal first, then adjust your angle from the crystal. First, adjust to both north hits and prepare yourself for the next mechanic.
- Infralateral Arc: Hydaelyn will hit three cleaved attacks that must be soaked by three distinct groups: tanks, healers, and DPS.
- Right after the waves hit two first crystals, head to your group’s spot. Depending on your group, you’ll have to stay behind the same crystal, go one further, or two further.
- Before each cleave hits, one wave will reach the south crystal on its way: adjust your angle to survive. You’ll have to act fast, and the safe angle is very slim, so don’t worry if you struggle during the first couple tries.
- Lightwave: Hydaelyn summons five crystals in the form of a dice’s five-roll, as well as three other waves. One wave is delayed. Wait for the next attack before hiding behind the central crystal to avoid the splashes.
- Hero’s Glory: AoE attack that covers the whole platform in front of the boss, hide behind her.
- Right after the attack resolves, hide behind the central crystal and quickly identify which wave will first hit a crystal. Adjust for both north hits, turn around, and adjust for both south hits.
- Hero’s Glory: before the last tide reaches the central crystal, Hydaelyn will cast another spell in front of her. Find the crystal that stands behind her and hide to avoid both the wide attack and the last splash.
- Halo: group-wide AoE attack.
- Hero’s Sundering: another hard-hitting tank-buster, make sure the tank is topped off and protected. Be careful: the attack is also a cone-form AoE, so the tank must stay in the opposite direction from the group.
- Shining Saber: AoE that must be stacked by the entire group.
- After that, she’ll summon the two colored sigils once again—red, blue, or green. Adjust your placement accordingly.
- Mousa’s Scorn: tank-buster shared by both tanks.
- Parthelion: Hydaelyn casts three consecutive ways of chakrams that will cut through the map once more after the Crystallize mechanic, dealing significant damage in their path.
- Keep in mind which chakrams she’ll cast first. Hide in the safe space between the first and second wave of chakrams and wait there.
- Crystallize: the element is almost always water. Split into two groups in the safe spot, and be prepared to move right after this mechanic resolves.
- As soon as the Crystallize attack is cast, run into the first chakrams’ area and keep running in that direction to avoid being on the path of the returning chakrams.
- Lateral Aureole or Aureole: it will resolve right after the previous mechanic, which means you’ll have to adjust very quickly. North or south is the safe space for Lateral Aureole, and east or west for Aureole.
- After that, Hydaelyn will cast both colored sigils again. Adjust.
- Magos’s Radiance: group-wide AoE.
- Crystallize: the element cast will almost always be ice. It will resolve after her next attack, so be prepared.
- Parhelic Circle: Hydaelyn summons a giant bubble and green lines around her.
- The bubble will divide into smaller ones that will appear at the lines’ pointy ends and explode. Avoid them, wait for them to explode, and adjust for your element mechanic right afterwards.
- Lateral Aureole or Aureole: head to her north/south or west/east safe side. Keep in mind that the direction of the attack is not boss relative, so keep your map as the reference.
- Hydaelyn then summons both colored sigils once again, which will be the only color that didn’t appear in both previous casts.
- Radiant Halo: group-wide AoE.
- Lightwave: this time, four waves will be summoned at each corner of the platform. Look for the widest corner between two waves and wait there for the next attacks to resolve.
- Echoes: group-wide AoE that must be soaked by all players. It will hit five times, so don’t run away too early, even if the next attack’s symbol will appear during this AoE.
- During the last hits of Echoes, a tide will appear behind the group, and markers appear on every player: individual markers on six players, and the shared tank-buster on the main and offtank.
- Don’t panic: stay to soak the last hits of Echoes, and then run away from the group to spread and soak your individual attack.
- After this attack, the safe spot between waves will always be the center of the platform, so stay there.
- Crystallize: don’t adjust to this mechanic yet, because it will resolve after the next attack.
- Shining Saber: group-wide AoE that must be stacked by all players.
- After that, Crystallize will resolve, and Hydaelyn will summon colored sigils once again.
- Lightwave: this mini-phase will be the same as before, with Echoes, the tank-buster and individual markers.
After that, Hydaelyn will cast the same attacks in succession until she becomes Enraged. If she reached this state, it means the group hasn’t dealt enough damage to the boss in a given time and will be wiped.
This Extreme trial can be a good introduction to macros for players who are new to this kind of content. They are essential in Savage content, but aren’t used in Zodiark’s Extreme trial. They are useful in Hydaelyn’s Call for two mechanics—the Crystallize water attack and the Infralateral Arc attack.
You can find macros in community hubs or the official FFXIV forums, like this one. Call out your role and stick to it during the fight.
