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Final Fantasy 14 has thousands of hours of content, and you can spend days working on a single goal. As you complete A Realm Reborn, you have the option of crafting a Zodiac Relic Weapon. This weapon will take an absurd amount of time to complete, but it will be worth every second by the end. In this guide, we'll go over everything you'll need to know for completing your Zodiac Weapon.

Related: Final Fantasy 14: Complete Guide To Anima Weapons

Crafting a Zodiac weapon is a long process that will require dozens of hours of work, tons of materials, Gil, and other currencies. Although this weapon was once the best you could have, level 50 weapons are now severely outdated, and shouldn't be used past level 55 or so. Still, you will probably want to make a Zodiac weapon anyway, because of the prestige and status that comes with owning one of the game's rarest items.

Updated September 12, 2022: Zodiac Weapons are still as stylish and grindy as ever, so we've updated this guide with a few tips for crafting your weapon. Whether its your first or fifth Zodiac Weapon, this guide is your one-stop-shop for everything you need to know about crafting these awesome weapons.

Complete The Quest 'The Weaponsmith Of Legend'

Pre-requisites:

  • Complete the Main Scenario Quest The Ultimate Weapon
  • Complete all class and jobs quests for your chosen job

NPC Location:

  • Nedrick - Vesper Bay, Western Thanalan (X:12.0, Y:14.3)

This is the first quest in the Zodiac Weapon questline, and will only need to be done once. Accept this quest from Nedrick in Vesper Bay, then travel to Revenant's Toll in Mor Dhona. There, speak with Rowena, who will send you to speak with Gerolt in Hyrstmill, North Shroud.

Gerolt will be one of the main NPCs for the remainder of the Zodiac questline, who you will repeatedly come back to speak with.

Use the Fallgourd Float Aetherite and fly to Hyrstmill to quickly get back there.

Complete The Quest 'A Relic Reborn'

NPC Location:

  • Gerolt - Hyrstmill, North Shroud (X:30.2, Y:20.2)

To begin this quest, speak with Gerolt in Hyrstmill. He will ask you to recover a broken weapon from a Beast Tribe stronghold. Where you find this weapon depends on your job.

Job Location
Bard
  • Natalan, Coerthas Central Highlands
Black Mage
  • U'Ghamaro Mines, Outer La Noscea
Dragoon
  • Natalan, Coerthas Central Highlands
Monk
  • Zahar'ak, Southern Thanalan
Ninja
  • Sapsa Spawning Grounds, Western La Noscea
Paladin
  • Zahar'ak, Southern Thanalan
Scholar
  • Sapsa Spawning Grounds, Western La Noscea
Summoner
  • Sylphlands, East Shroud
Warrior
  • U'Ghamaro Mines, Outer La Noscea
White Mage
  • U'Ghamaro Mines, Outer La Noscea

After you retrieve the broken weapon, you will need to use a different weapon as a sort of template for your Relic. Then, you will have to meld various types of materia onto that weapon, depending on your job. You can buy these weapons from the Market Board, have a crafter make them for you, or craft them yourself.

Next, you will need to meld two of a specific type of materia onto your weapon. You can do this yourself if you have the appropriate crafter leveled up, or you can ask someone else to do it for you. Alternatively, you can speak with a Materia Melder NPC to have them meld the materia onto the weapon for you.

Each Job's weapon and materia needed are listed below.

Job Weapon Materia
Bard
  • Longarm's Composite Bow
  • Heavens' Eye Materia III
Black Mage
  • Sanguine Scepter
  • Savage Might Materia III
Dragoon
  • Champion's Lance
  • Savage Aim Materia III
Monk
  • Wildling's Cesti
  • Savage Aim Materia III
Ninja
  • Vamper's Knives
  • Heavens' Eye Materia III
Paladin
  • Aeolian Scimitar
  • Battledance Materia III
Scholar
  • Erudite's Picatrix of Healing
  • Quicktongue Materia III
Summoner
  • Erudite's Picatrix of Casting
  • Savage Might Materia III
Warrior
  • Barbarian's Bardiche
  • Battledance Materia III
White Mage
  • Madman's Whispering Rod
  • Quicktongue Materia III

Completing this step will reward you with your base Relic Weapon, which you will need to equip for the remainder of this step.

Next, you will have to fight the Chimera in the 8-man trial A Relic Reborn: The Chimera. You will unlock this trial permanently after reaching this section of the quest.

Defeat the Chimera, then speak with Gerolt, who will send you back to Rowena in Mor Dhona. Eventually, you will be asked to complete the level 50 dungeon Amdapor Keep as your chosen job. Clear this dungeon, then return to Gerolt to begin the next part of this quest.

Finally, you will have your Relic Weapon, but there is still more work to do to complete this step. Next, equip your new weapon and defeat three types of enemies eight times, for a total of 24 kills. The enemies you need to defeat for each Job are listed below.

Job Location Enemy 1 Enemy 2 Enemy 3
Bard Natalan, Coerthas Central Highlands
  • Natalan Boldwing
  • Natalan Fogcaller
  • Natalan Windtalon
Black Mage U'Ghamaro Mines, Outer La Noscea
  • 13th Order Quarryman
  • 13th Order Bedesman
  • 13th Order Priest
Dragoon Natalan, Coerthas Central Highlands
  • Natalan Boldwing
  • Natalan Fogcaller
  • Natalan Windtalon
Monk Zahar'ak, Southern Thanalan
  • Zahar'ak Lancer
  • Zahar'ak Pugilist
  • Zahar'ak Archer
Ninja Sapsa Spawning Grounds, Western La Noscea
  • Sapsa Shelfspine
  • Sapsa Shelfclaw
  • Sapsa Shelftooth
Paladin Zahar'ak, Southern Thanalan
  • Zahar'ak Lancer
  • Zahar'ak Pugilist
  • Zahar'ak Archer
Scholar Sapsa Spawning Grounds, Western La Noscea
  • Sapsa Shelfspine
  • Sapsa Shelfclaw
  • Sapsa Shelftooth
Summoner Sylphlands, East Shroud
  • Violet Sigh
  • Violet Screech
  • Violet Snarl
Warrior U'Ghamaro Mines, Outer La Noscea
  • 13th Order Quarryman
  • 13th Order Bedesman
  • 13th Order Priest
White Mage U'Ghamaro Mines, Outer La Noscea
  • 13th Order Quarryman
  • 13th Order Bedesman
  • 13th Order Priest

Next, you will have to complete the following duties and retrieve the requested item. They must be completed in this order.

  • A Relic Reborn: The Hydra
  • The Bowl of Embers (Hard)
  • The Howling Eye (Hard)
  • The Navel (Hard)

After clearing these Trials, deliver one Radz-at-Han Quenching Oil to Gerolt. You can buy this item for 15 Tomestones of Poetics from Auriana in Mor Dhona (X:22.7, Y:6.7).

Finally, the first step of the Zodiac Weapon quest is complete.

Reward Base Relic Weapon

Complete The Zenith Upgrade

This step is unique because there is no quest associated with it. To complete this step, simply gather three Thavnairian Mist and take them to the furnace in Hyrstmill.

These items can be purchased for 20 Poetic Tomestones each, for a total of 60 Poetics. At the furnace, unequip your Relic Weapon if it's equipped, then put both the weapon and Thavnairian Mist into the furnace to upgrade your Relic to its Zenith version.

Reward Zenith Weapon

Complete The Quest 'Up In Arms'

NPC Location:

  • Jalzahn - Hyrstmill, North Shroud (X:29.5, Y:19.6)

For this quest, Jalzahn will ask you to gather materials known as Atma. You will need a total of 12 Atma, and they can be acquired from FATEs in the zones listed below.

You won't obtain Atma if your Relic Weapon is not equipped, so be sure you're using it to complete these FATEs.

Up in Arms is a quest you will only have to complete once per character, after which you will just have to retrieve the Atma and bring them to Jalzahn.

Location Atma
North Shroud
  • Atma of the Archer
Eastern Thanalan
  • Atma of the Bull
Western La Noscea
  • Atma of the Crab
Lower La Noscea
  • Atma of the Fish
East Shroud
  • Atma of the Goat
Outer La Noscea
  • Atma of the Lion
Central Shroud
  • Atma of the Maiden
Middle La Noscea
  • Atma of the Ram
Central Thanalan
  • Atma of the Scales
Southern Thanalan
  • Atma of the Scorpion
Western Thanalan
  • Atma of the Twins
Upper La Noscea
  • Atma of the Water-bearer

After you have all 12 Atma, bring them to Jalzahn and he will upgrade your weapon.

Reward Atma Weapon

Complete The Trials of the Braves

NPC Location:

  • Jalzahn - Hyrstmill, North Shroud (X:29.5, Y:19.6)

This step is where the Zodiac Weapon quest really starts to get grindy. First, pick up this quest from Jalzahn, who will send you to Mor Dhona. Eventually, you will meet G'jusana (X:22.9, Y:7.3), who will be an important NPC for the remainder of this step.

From G'jusana, you will need to purchase Books for 100 Tomestones of Poetics. Each Book will list various tasks that you need to complete. In total, there are nine Books, each with 19 tasks to complete. The tasks vary by Book, but the type of activity you do will remain the same for each Book. You will need to have your Relic Weapon equipped when completing each objective. Each Book will ask you to do the following.

  • Complete three Dungeons
  • Defeat 10 different enemies, three times each
  • Complete three FATEs
  • Complete three Levequests

You can only have one Book at a time, and it must be completed and turned in to G'jusana before you can buy another one. If you do buy another Book before finishing the one you're currently working on, your current progress will be lost.

Remember to finish your current Book before accepting a new one.

Reward Animus Weapon

Complete The Quest 'Celestial Radiance'

  • NPC Location: Jalzahn - Hyrstmill, North Shroud (X:29.5, Y:19.6)

Celestial Radiance is mainly a story quest, and will only have to be completed once. Follow the NPCs as they tell you where to go. Eventually, you will need to purchase three Superior Enchanted Ink from Auriana in Mor Dhona (X:22.7, Y:6.7). These cost 25 Poetics each, for a total of 75 Poetics. After turning in the Ink, you will receive a Sphere Scroll, which you will need for the next step.

Complete The Quest 'Star Light, Star Bright'

NPC Location:

  • Jalzahn - Hyrstmill, North Shroud (X:29.5, Y:19.6)

This step will involve you melding materia onto your weapon to add to its total stat points. You will need roughly 75 materia, and 75 of an item called Alexandrite, which is used to infuse the materia so it can be slotted into your weapon.

Materia

There are four tiers you will need to progress through when melding materia onto your weapon. At first, you will need to use low-level materia, then progressively start using higher materia as you allot stat points. You can use a maximum of 11 materia of one grade and type per tier. For example, you can use 11 Quickarm Materia I on the first tier, but for the second tier you will have to upgrade to Quickarm Materia II, and so on.

In total, you can use a maximum of 44 materia of a single stat type, and 31 materia of a second stat type. Keep in mind that you don't have to use the same type of materia across the board, especially since you probably won't be using this weapon for its stats anyway. We recommend buying whatever materia is the cheapest from the Market Board.

However, as you meld materia into your weapon, there is a chance that it will fail to meld. The success rate is listed below.

Materia Success Rate
First
  • 100%
Second
  • 100%
Third
  • 100%
Fourth
  • 100%
Fifth
  • 100%
Sixth
  • 100%
Seventh
  • 96%
Eighth
  • 90%
Ninth
  • 82%
Tenth
  • 72%
Eleventh
  • 60%

Be sure to buy a few extra materia in case you get bad luck when melding.

Alexandrite

Alexandrite is a special material that you can gain in the following ways. You will need a total of 75 to complete this step.

  • Complete Level 50 or below FATEs with your Relic Weapon equipped
  • Purchase for 50 Allied Seals from Hunt Billmaster in your Grand Company's Headquarters
  • Treasure from Mysterious Maps, which can be obtained from:
    • 'Morbid Motivation' daily quest — complete Duty Roulette: Level 50/60/70/80 Dungeon
      • This quest can be received from Brangwine in Mor Dhona (X:21.9, Y:6.7)
    • Purchase for 75 Tomestones of Poetics from Auriana in Mor Dhona (X:22.7, Y:6.7).

Mysterious Maps will require you to decipher them, then find the location pictured on the map. After going to that location, a chest and group of enemies will spawn. After defeating the enemies, you can open the chest and receive five Alexandrite.

Alexandrite is used to combine with materia as you meld it to your weapon. If the materia melding fails, you won't lose your Alexandrite, so you're safe to gather exactly 75.

Reward Novus Weapon

Complete The Quest 'Mmmmmm, Soulglazed Relics'

NPC Location:

  • Jalzahn - Hyrstmill, North Shroud (X:29.5, Y:19.6)

To start this step, first complete the one-time quest Mmmmmm, Souldglazed Relics. After finishing this quest, you will be able to Soulglaze your relic by speaking with Jalzahn. Soulglazing doesn't actually do anything on its own, but it will enable you to gather something called 'light'. Light is essentially a point counter that will increase as you complete duties.

After completing a duty, you will receive a small notification of how much light your relic has received. Each value is listed below.

Light Level Point Value
Feeble
  • 8 Points
Gentle
  • 16 Points
Bright
  • 32 Points
Brilliant
  • 48 Points
Blinding
  • 96 Points
Newborn Star
  • 128 Points

In general, duties with higher-level requirements will grant more light. For example, the dungeon Sastasha will only grant a few light points, but Crystal Tower raids will grant a lot.

When your weapon reaches certain values of light, it will tell you its activity level, which you can see below. You will need a total of 2,000 light points to finish this step.

Light Indicator Point Value
No activity
  • 0-199
Indistinct Activity
  • 200-399
Faint Activity
  • 400-599
Slight Activity
  • 600-799
Modest Activity
  • 800-999
Distinct Activity
  • 1,000-1,199
Robust Activity
  • 1,200-1,399
Vigorous Activity
  • 1,400-1,599
Intense Activity
  • 1,600-1,799
Extreme Activity
  • 1,800-1,999
Bursting Activity
  • 2,000

After you have 2,000 light, return to Jalzahn and select the option 'Relic Weapon Novus Enhancement', and this step will be complete.

Reward Nexus Weapon

Complete The Quest 'Wherefore Art Thou, Zodiac'

NPC Location:

  • Jalzahn - Hyrstmill, North Shroud (X:29.5, Y:19.6)

This step will involve you gathering four different items. Each item has a specific quest that needs to be completed to acquire the item.

A few of these items can be purchased from the Silver Bazaar in Western Thanalan, which is located at (X:16.0, Y:29.9)

A Ponze of Flesh

NPC Location:

  • Papana - Mor Dhona (X:22.9, Y:7.3)

Acquire a Book of Skylight by gathering the following.

Item How to Acquire
Bombard Core
  • Buy for 20,000 Company Seals
Sacred Spring Water
  • Buy for 200 Poetics from Auriana in Mor Dhona (X:22.7, Y:6.7)
Bronze Lake Crystal
  • Buy for 100,000 gil from Junkmonger in Upper La Noscea (X:26, Y:26)
Horn of the Beast
  • Dzemael Darkhold
Gobmachine Bangplate
  • Brayflox's Longstop (Hard)
Narasimha Hide
  • Halatali (Hard)
Sickle Fang
  • Snowcloak
Furnace Ring (HQ)
  • Craft as Goldsmith
  • Desynthesize aged ring from Silver Bazaar (Hammerlea, Western Thanalan)
  • Buy from Market Board
Perfect Firewood (HQ)
  • Craft as Carpenter
  • Desynthesize aged spear from Silver Bazaar (Hammerlea, Western Thanalan)
  • Buy from Market Board

Labor of Love

NPC Location:

  • Guiding Star - Mor Dhona (X:21.9, Y:6.9)

Acquire Zodium by gathering the following.

Item How to Acquire
Bombard Core
  • Buy for 20,000 Company Seals
Sacred Spring Water
  • Buy for 200 Poetics from Auriana in Mor Dhona (X:22.7, Y:6.7)
Allagan Resin
  • Buy for 100,000 Gil from Merchant & Mender in Southern Thanalan (X:15, Y:29)
Vale Bubo
  • Aurum Vale
Voidweave
  • Huakke Manor (Hard)
Amdapor Vellum
  • The Lost City of Amdapor
Indigo Pearl
  • Sastasha (Hard)
Perfect Mortar (HQ)
  • Craft as Armorer
  • Desynthesize aged mortar from Silver Bazaar (Hammerlea, Western Thanalan)
  • Buy from Market Board
Perfect Pestle (HQ)
  • Craft as Blacksmith
  • Desynthesize aged pestle from Silver Bazaar (Hammerlea, Western Thanalan)
  • Buy from Market Board

A Treasured Mother

NPC Location:

  • Brangwine - Mor Dhona (X:21.9, Y:6.7)

Acquire Flawless Alexandrite by gathering the following.

Item How to Acquire
Bombard Core
  • Buy for 20,000 Company Seals
Sacred Spring Water
  • Buy for 200 Poetics from Auriana in Mor Dhona (X:22.7, Y:6.7)
Brass Kettle
  • Buy for 100,000 Gil from Tool Supplier and Mender in North Shroud (X:29.9, Y:19.0)
Lost Treasure of Amdapor Keep
  • Amdapor Keep
Lost Treasure of Pharos Sirius
  • Pharos Sirius
Lost Treasure of Tam-Tara Deepcroft
  • Tam-Tara Deepcroft (Hard)
Lost Treasure of Stone Vigil
  • Stone Vigil (Hard)
Tailor-made Eel Pie (HQ)
  • Craft as Culinarian
  • Desynthesize aged decanter from Silver Bazaar (Hammerlea, Western Thanalan)
  • Buy from Market Board
Perfect Cloth (HQ)
  • Craft as Weaver
  • Desynthesize aged robe from Silver Bazaar (Hammerlea, Western Thanalan)
  • Buy from Market Board

Method in His Malice

NPC Location:

  • Adkin - Central Thanalan (X:23, Y:13)

Acquire a Zodiac Scroll by gathering the following.

Item How to Acquire
Bombard Core
  • Buy for 20,000 Company Seals
Sacred Spring Water
  • Buy for 200 Poetics from Auriana in Mor Dhona (X:22.7, Y:6.7)
Furite Sand
  • Buy for 100,000 Gil from Merchant & Mender in Coerthas Central Highlands (X:13.2, Y:15.9)
Tonberry King Blood
  • The Wanderer's Palace
Royal Gigant Blood
  • Copperbell Mines (Hard)
Kraken Blood
  • Hullbreaker Isle
Vicegerent Blood
  • The Sunken Temple of Qarn (Hard)
Perfect Vellum (HQ)
  • Craft as Leatherworker
  • Desynthesize aged grimoire from Silver Bazaar (Hammerlea, Western Thanalan)
  • Buy from Market Board
Perfect Pounce (HQ)
  • Craft as Alchemist
  • Desynthesize aged phial from Silver Bazaar (Hammerlea, Western Thanalan)
  • Buy from Market Board

His Dark Materia

NPC Location:

  • Gerolt - Hyrstmill, North Shroud (X:30.2, Y:20.2)

After you have gathered a Book of Skylight, Zodum, Flawless Alexandrite, and a Zodiac Scroll, return to Jalzahn to finally upgrade your Nexus weapon to Zodiac status.

Reward Zodiac Braves Weapon

Complete The Quest 'Rise And Shine'

NPC Location:

  • Jalzahn - Hyrstmill, North Shroud (X:29.5, Y:19.6)

This quest only needs to be completed once, and is the second to last step in your Zodiac weapon questline. Follow the quest Rise and Shine until you meet with Remon in Swiftperch, Western La Noscea. After you complete this quest, you will be able to begin the final step.

Complete The Quest 'The Vital Title'

NPC Location

  • Jalzahn - Hyrstmill, North Shroud (X:29.5, Y:19.6)

This is the final quest in the Zodiac Weapon questline and will reward you with a Zodiac Zeta weapon upon completion.

This step is similar to the step in which you gathered light points from before. However, this time you will need to infuse 12 different Mahatma with light. Each Mahatma will need 40 total light points, and they are named as follows.

  1. Mahatma of the Ram
  2. Mahatma of the Bull
  3. Mahatma of the Twins
  4. Mahatma of the Crab
  5. Mahatma of the Lion
  6. Mahatma of the Maiden
  7. Mahatma of the Scales
  8. Mahatma of the Scorpion
  9. Mahatma of the Archer
  10. Mahatma of the Goat
  11. Mahatma of the Water-bearer
  12. Mahatma of the Fish

You will need to purchase each Mahatma from Remon in North Shroud (X:34.3, Y:31.7) for 50 Poetics, or 600 Poetics in total for all 12 Mahatma. They must be completed in the order listed above.

Light points can be gained in the same way as before. The best way of quickly completing this quest is to run Tam-Tara Deepcroft twice for each Mahatma. One clear of this dungeon will grant 24 light points, which means you will only need to do two clears to finish a Mahatma. As long as you run Tam-Tara unsynced in an undersized party, you should have no problems clearing it quickly.

If doing Tam-Tara Deepcroft 24 times in a row doesn't sound fun, you can also do any of the duties listed in the previous light step, including FATEs, Trials, and Raids.

Unsynced parties will always be the best way to gather light, no matter the Duty you are completing.

After you have finished infusing all 12 Mahatma, speak with Jalzahn and select Zodiac Weapon Awakening. Watch the short cutscene, and your Zodiac weapon will be complete!

Reward Zodiac Zeta Weapon

Next: Final Fantasy 14: How To Get Every Blue Mage Spell