The Steps of Faith is a level 50 Trial in Final Fantasy 14, originally added to the game in patch 2.55. It serves as the final battle before the first expansion, Heavensward, was released. As one of the final level 50 quests, this Trial can be difficult without preparation.
The Steps of Faith is a Trial unlike any you've faced so far in the Main Scenario. Rather than facing a boss that will try to kill you using various attacks, the boss of this Trial, Vishap, is only trying to move from one side of a bridge to another. It's you and your party's job to stop him before he reaches the gates of Ishgard. Let's go over what to expect from this Trial and how you can complete The Steps of Faith.
This is a legacy Trial that has since been changed into an instance in a patch update. As such, this guide is no longer representative of the content in the game.
How To Unlock The Steps Of Faith
This Trial will unlock through the following Main Scenario Quest.
- Complete the Main Scenario Quest 'The Steps of Faith'
- NPC Location: Marcelain - Coerthas Central Highlands (x:18.1, y:14.9)
The Steps Of Faith Mechanics
The Steps of Faith takes place on the bridge leading to Ishgard. In this Trial, you'll need to fight Vishap as he moves along the bridge. You will have access to several defense systems, and Vishap will rarely use attacks on his own. Instead, he will rely on smaller Horde dragons that will swarm your party.
The bridge is split into four sections divided by gates that Vishap will attempt to break through. Your goal is to stop Vishap before he reaches the end of the bridge and destroys each of the gates protecting Ishgard.
Note that even if all party members die, you will not fail this duty. Simply revive from the checkpoint and run back to the fight. You will only fail this Trial if Vishap reaches the end of the arena and destroys the final gate.
As mentioned above, you will have access to two forms of defenses that will aid you in taking down Vishap. The first of these are the Bertha Cannons that are positioned in two pairs of two along each section of the bridge. These must be manually operated by a party member, and give access to three different cannon attacks. These attacks do high damage to Vishap and should be used as often as possible.
To operate the Bertha Cannons, interact with one of them to take control of it. Doing so will replace the first three skills on your Hotbar with Iron Kiss, Spindly Finger, and Pitch Bomb, respectively. You can find descriptions of the skills listed below.
- Iron Kiss: Deals damage in the designated area.
- Spindly Finger: Deals damage in the designated area and stuns for one second.
- Pitch Bomb: Coats the designated area in sap that slows the movement speed of all enemies that enter.
From the second section of the bridge on, you will have access to the Dragonkillers that sit on top of towers. There are a total of three Dragonkillers; one in each section of the bridge after the first. As you approach the Dragonkillers, a red AoE marker will appear on the bridge below, as seen in the image above. This marker indicates where the Dragonkiller bolt will land once fired. You will want to wait for Vishap to walk on top of the marker before firing, as the Dragonkiller will be wasted otherwise. Each Dragonkiller can only be fired once, so wait until the time is right.
The first Dragonkiller can be used as soon as Vishap is underneath it, but the second and third Dragonkillers must be used differently. These times, you will first need to snare Vishap before the Dragonkiller is used, or else he will fly up and dodge the bolt. When Vishap lands, he will deal massive damage to any players underneath him, most likely instantly killing those players.
It's important to note that this Trial is a few years old now, and currently no longer plays out exactly as originally intended. Because of this, Vishap often never has the chance to be snared, meaning using the second two Dragonkillers will always result in him leaping up and dodging the attack. Only use the first Dragonkiller that is guaranteed to hit, and ignore the rest.
When Vishap reaches the final section of the bridge, a group of Powder Kegs will spawn. At the same time, Horde dragons will rush towards the kegs, attempting to destroy them. Protect the kegs from the adds, and when Vishap walks over them, they will explode, dealing a large amount of damage to the boss.
While Vishap does not attack party members directly, he does have two abilities to watch out for, listed below.
- Sidewise Slice: A large cone attacks that Vishap will use to destroy the Bertha Cannons. When the Cannon is destroyed, it will explode, dealing a large amount of damage to nearby players. When Vishap begins charging this attack, any player that is operating the Cannons should immediately run away to avoid dying.
- Underfoot: Every time Vishap takes a step, he will deal damage in the area where his foot lands. Avoid being directly underneath Vishap's feet as he moves down the bridge.
Trial Walkthrough
Now that we've gone over the mechanics of this Trial, it's time to put them into practical use during the fight. This section will be divided into each roles' job during this fight to ensure victory.
Tanks
Because Vishap cannot be directly Tanked, both the main and off-Tanks should work together to group up the adds that periodically spawn behind Vishap. Group up all the enemies underneath Vishap so that the Bertha Cannons can hit both the boss and adds.
Healers
As usual, healers should focus on keeping every party member alive. Because most players will be grouped up underneath Vishap, AoE heals will work well during this Trial.
DPS
DPS Jobs have several duties during this Trial. The first is to operate both the Bertha Cannons and the Dragonkiller, when it is available. Only the DPS should use the Cannons; Tanks and Healers should not operate the Cannons. Secondly, when not using the Cannons, the DPS should focus on taking out the adds that periodically spawn. If the Tank groups them all together, you can use your AoE abilities to quickly defeat them.
Throughout the fight, the DPS need to deal as much damage to Vishap as possible. The entire fight is essentially one big DPS-check, so make sure to constantly be attacking the boss to defeat him in time.
As long as everyone performs their roles and deals as much damage as they can, you should be able to make it through this Trial without much issue. After clearing The Steps of Faith, you'll only need to complete a few more quests before moving into Heavensward.
