Final Fantasy 14 has gone from strength to strength over the years, with a well-crafted storyline and finely tuned dungeons and encounters that attract players and keep them hooked. That said, the "massively online" aspect of a game like Final Fantasy 14 might not be for everyone.
Not everyone has a tight-knit group of online friends that they can work through Eorzea's many dungeons with, and not everyone likes being matched with random players through the Duty Finders. If this sounds like you, then you're in luck — there are some (not perfect) ways that you can take on dungeons (and more!) completely solo!
Forming An Undersized Party
One option for players who prefer a quiet jaunt is to form an undersized party. This lets them take on a dungeon completely alone (or with just one or two friends, but this isn't "How to Enter a Dungeon With One or Two Friends"). Level sync is turned off too, which explains how this can be used to actually proceed through dungeons without getting killed at the first pack of mobs.
The downside to this is that you really do have to be at a high level to have a chance of soloing content reliably. In addition, this method is really only viable for tanks and healers unless you vastly outlevel the dungeon — DPS Jobs simply don't have the healing or defensive capabilities to keep up with damage.
This does however mean that there is a way for players to take care of a ton of outdated quests in their journals associated with old dungeons and trials. Queues can be quite long for dungeons like Hullbreaker Isle and The Great Gubal Library (Hard), so storming through them as a high-powered tank is both quick and satisfying.
As a general rule:
- Dungeons from A Realm Reborn (levels 15 to 50) can be reliably taken on solo from about level 70.
- Dungeons from Heavensward (levels 51 to 60) can be reliably taken on solo from level 80.
- A level 80 healer or tank can reliably solo most trials from A Realm Reborn and Heavensward, including many Extreme ones.
- There are a few exceptions to this, mostly due to specific mechanics that require more than one player to execute.
- Content from Stormblood and Shadowbringers is very unlikely to be solo-able at this point in time.
Using Adventurer Squadrons
There is a way to take on certain dungeons with a squadron of AI-controlled party members, but it has some unlock requirements.
Unlocking Adventurer Squadrons
Firstly, you must be at least a Second Lieutenant with their chosen Grand Company. This requires working your way up through the ranks by paying a certain amount of Seals at the Grand Company's headquarters. Overall, you will need 54,000 Seals to reach Second Lieutenant rank from the starting rank. Easy ways to gather lots of seals is to complete your daily Supply and Provision Missions, trade outdated equipment in as Expert Deliveries, and simply complete Duty Roulettes and FATEs.
Once you have reached this rank, you need to complete a quest to unlock Adventurer Squadrons. The quest is simply an unlock flag for the feature and has no actual steps for you to take. The details for these quests are below.
Maelstrom
- Level Requirement: 47
- Location: Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks (X:13.1, Y:12.7)
- NPC: Storm Personnel Officer
Order of the Twin Adder
- Level Requirement: 47
- Location: New Gridania (X:9.8, Y:11.0)
- NPC: Serpent Personnel Officer
Immortal Flames
- Level Requirement: 47
- Location: Ul'dah - Steps of Nald (X:8.3, Y:9.1)
- NPC: Flame Personnel Officer
In addition to the level and rank requirements, there is one previous quest that the player must have completed in order to unlock Squadrons. This quest unlocks after the story quest "Call of the Sea." You can find the details for it right here:
Rising to the Challenge
- Level Requirement: 15
- Location: Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks (X:11.5, Y:10.9)
- NPC: I'tolwann
Command Missions
Once you have unlocked Squadrons, you can recruit many adventurers, set them training regimes, deploy them on missions to level them up, and take them on Command Missions where you lead them through a dungeon. The AI partners are decent at their jobs but the dungeons will likely take longer than usual to complete.
Command Mission dungeons work like normal dungeons, but with AI partners helping you. You will receive a normal amount of EXP for the dungeon but reduced rewards from chests as they all automatically go to you. They cost Company Seals to begin but these are easy to gather, and going on Command Missions is such a good way to earn experience for Jobs that it's worth the price.
In order to go on a Command Mission, each Squadron Adventurer must meet the minimum level requirement.
The table below lists every current dungeon that is available for Command Missions. It is likely that more will be added as the game gets updated.
| Dungeon | Level | Company Seals |
|---|---|---|
| Halatali | 20 | 1000 |
| The Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak | 24 | 1200 |
| Brayflox's Longstop | 32 | 1600 |
| The Stone Vigil | 41 | 2000 |
| Dzemael Darkhold | 44 | 2200 |
| The Aurum Vale | 47 | 2400 |
| Pharos Sirius | 50 | 2500 |
| The Wanderer's Palace | 50 | 2500 |
| Copperbell Mines (Hard) | 50 | 2500 |
| Brayflox's Longstop (Hard) | 50 | 2500 |
| The Wanderer's Palace (Hard) | 50 | 2500 |
| Sohm Al | 53 | 2800 |
| The Vault | 57 | 3000 |
| The Fractal Continuum | 60 | 3500 |
| Pharos Sirius (Hard) | 60 | 3500 |
The Trust System
In a similar vein to Command Missions, some dungeons can be taken on with AI-controlled party members from the main storyline of the game. The Trust System was introduced with Shadowbringers and allows players to play through dungeons on their own.
- The first time a dungeon is played, you have to play it in Scenario Mode, which automatically levels up the Trusts used to the dungeon's minimum level. Once a dungeon has been completed once though, you must use Trusts that are solely leveled through their usage in these dungeons in what's known as Avatar Mode. For example, in order to use Trusts in Dohn Mheg (a level 73 dungeon), you must first level them up using Holminster Switch (a level 71 dungeon).
- Avatar mode is great for level grinding as each dungeon from level 71 to 79 has huge experience bonuses associated with them.
- Each Scenario Mode dungeon has a predetermined list of Trusts that can be used, each with specific roles. One member will usually have a variable role, allowing them to fill any slot needed depending on the party's makeup.
The table below details each dungeon that can currently be used with the Trust System.
| Dungeon | Level |
|---|---|
| Holminster Switch | 71 |
| Dohn Mheg | 73 |
| The Qitana Ravel | 75 |
| Malikah's Well | 77 |
| Mt. Gulg | 79 |
| Amaurot | 80 |
| The Grand Cosmos | 80 |
| Anamnesis Anyder | 80 |
| The Heroes' Gauntlet | 80 |
| Matoya's Relict | 80 |
| Paglth'an | 80 |
