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The Great Gubal Library is a level 59 dungeon in Final Fantasy 14: Heavensward. As the greatest library in Eorzea, the Great Gubal Library is just the place to search for lost, hidden, or otherwise forgotten information on all manner of beasts, devices, and forbidden knowledge. This time, you're tasked with recovering Matoya's tome on the aetheric converger.
This dungeon is the final leveling dungeon available in Heavensward. Brave the depths of the library and battle a plethora of book-themed enemies. Let's take a look at each boss you'll encounter in the normal version of the Great Gubal Library, their attacks and mechanics, and how to beat them.
How To Unlock The Great Gubal Library
To unlock the Great Gubal Library, you will need to accept the following quest.
- Accept the Main Scenario Quest 'Forbidden Knowledge'
- NPC Location: Matoya - Matoya's Cave, The Dravanian Hinterlands (X:12.7, Y:37.3)
Dungeon Walkthrough
The layout of this dungeon is pretty straightforward, just try not to get turned around on the path leading to the first boss. You'll need to defeat each group of enemies you encounter before the doors behind them unlock, allowing you to proceed further.
Later in the dungeon, be mindful of the Page 64 enemies that are positioned near the ends of hallways. These stationary enemies will fire Death Ray line AoE attacks at random players, and should be taken out before other trash mobs. They don't move like normal enemies, so try bringing the other nearby enemies to them to group them all together.
Demon Tome
The first boss of the Great Gubal Library is the Demon Tome. This stationary possessed book will use the following attacks and mechanics.
- Liquefy: A series of AoEs in which the boss will target a line AoE down the middle of the arena, then two line AoEs to either side of it shortly after. This attack will inflict the Heavy and Slow debuffs, drastically reducing movement speed.
- Dark Blizzard III: Targets players with an AoE attack that deals moderate damage and inflicts the Heavy and Slow debuffs. This attack occurs during Liquefy, making it harder to avoid if your movement speed is reduced.
- Repel: The Demon Tome will deal damage and knock players back.
- Disclosure: The Demon Tome will close its covers, preparing a lethal attack. To avoid this, run to the other side of the arena in the space created where the Tome's pages just were, allowing you to get behind the boss.
- After casting Disclosure, the Demon Tome will turn to face the other side of the arena, dealing damage and knocking back as it spins. Avoid being close to the boss when it turns around.
- Words of Winter: The Demon Tome will cover the arena floor in Thin Ice, causing you to slide uncontrollably when trying to move. Move only when necessary to avoid sliding into AoEs.
The Demon Tome will repeat these attacks until it is defeated. Quickly move to the other side of the arena to avoid Disclosure in time, and you'll be able to make it through the first boss without any problems.
Byblos
The second boss of the Great Gubal Library is Byblos. This boss will use the following attacks and mechanics throughout the fight.
- Head Down: Targets a player with a charged line AoE. Move away from party members to avoid hitting them with this attack.
- Tail Swipe: Deals damage in a short cone to the back of the boss. Byblos will only use this attack if there is a player behind him. Move out of the AoE indicator to avoid.
- Page 64 adds: Byblos will move to the center of the arena, become invulnerable and summon two Page 64 adds. Like the enemies from before, these will fire Death Ray line AoEs at random players. When defeated, a blue orb will tether to the player that dealt the final blow. If this orb hits Byblos, he will be knocked out of his invulnerablity, allowing you to continue attacking the boss.
- The player who tethers to the orb should move through Byblos, dragging the orb with them and ensuring it hits him.
- While this is happening, Byblos will periodically cast Bone Shaker. This attack deals damage to all players and inflicts vulnerabity up, increasing damage taken. This means the longer Byblos sits in the center of the arena, the more damage you and your party will take.
- Gale Cut: Byblos will create wind cyclones around the arena. Walking into one of these will deal light damage and knock back slightly.
- If the tethered orb from the add phase hits one of the wind cyclones, it will disappear. To avoid this, either circle around the wind cyclones while moving towards the boss with the orb, or have the Tank run through them to clear them from the arena beforehand.
Byblos will repeat these attacks until he is defeated. Be sure to use the orb to stop the boss's Bone Shaker onslaught. If both orbs disappear before you can use them on the boss, two more Page 64 adds will spawn, giving you a second chance to make the boss vulnerable again.
The Everliving Bibliotaph
The final boss of the Great Gubal Library is the Everliving Bibliotaph. Around the arena are six summoning circle platforms that will be utilized by the boss's main mechanic, Void Call. This attack and the Bibliotaph's other attacks are detailed below.
- Void Spark: Targets players with an orb that will be dropped on the floor of the arena. This orb will periodically pulse damage and vulnerability up to nearby players, and should be avoided. Try to place the Void Spark at the corners of the arena where players won't need to move to reduce the chances of getting hit by this attack.
- Void Call: The Bibliotaph will attempt to summon additional enemies using the summoning circles around the edges of the arena. To prevent this, you will need to run on top of the glowing circles to lock them, preventing the summoning from taking place.
- Subsequent uses of this attack will have multiple circles appear at each platform, requiring more than one player to activate and close them. During the second Void Call, two players will need to stand in each circle, and three players will be required for the third use of Void Call. Coordinate with your party to close these before the enemies are summoned.
- Bibliophile: Summoned by the first Void Call. Uses light auto-attacks.
- Bibliomancer: Summoned by the second Void Call. Uses AoE attacks targeted at random players.
- Biblioklept: Summoned by the third Void Call: Uses an attack that fires four line AoEs.
- Deep Darkness: Deals damage and inflicts Heavy and Reduced Immunity to players in a large ring AoE. Move close to the boss to avoid.
- Magic Burst: Deals damage in a pointblank circle AoE centered on the boss. Move away to avoid.
The Everliving Bibliotaph will repeat these attacks until it is defeated. Be sure to work with your team to prevent summoning during Void Call, and you'll be able to beat this boss and finish the Great Gubal Library.
