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Hells' Lid is a level 70 dungeon in Final Fantasy 14: Stormblood. Originally added in patch 4.2, this optional dungeon kicks off the Four Lords side story. Things are heating up in the Ruby Sea, and its up to you and your allies to get to the bottom of it.

Related: Final Fantasy 14: The Drowned City Of Skalla Dungeon Guide

Hells' Lid is a bit more challenging than your average dungeon. The bosses here will inflict vulnerability up at any chance they get, making each fight progressively more hard the more you are hit. Let's take a look at each of the bosses of Hells' Lid, their attacks and mechanics, and how to beat them.

How To Unlock Hells' Lid

Hells' Lid is unlocked through the following side quest.

  • Accept the quest 'An Auspicious Encounter'
    • NPC Location: Soroban - The Ruby Sea (X:5.7, Y:15.7)

Dungeon Walkthrough

This dungeon is full of tough enemies. Many of the trash mobs have large, heavy-hitting AoE attacks that should be avoided. Be careful how much you pull as you make your way through this dungeon.

Shortly after entering the dungeon, you will jump off a cliff into a square arena of four Nurikabe enemies. These lava spirits will stay in their walls, making them impossible to group together. The Tank should be sure to maintain enmity on all four enemies while the DPS players focus on taking them down one at a time.

In the area right before the final boss, you will encounter the Boltstorm Nue and the Stillwind Nue. These two mini-bosses will use high damage auto attacks and periodically attack with frontal cone and point-blank AoEs. Focus on one Nue at a time as you dodge these AoEs.

Otake-maru

The first boss of Hells' Lid is Otake-maru. Each of Otake-maru's attacks will inflict a stacking vulnerability up debuff, causing you to take more damage from each attack. Try to avoid each of the following attacks and mechanics as best you can.

  • 100-tonze Swing: Deals damage and knocks back players in a point-blank AoE surrounding the boss. Move away from Otake-maru when he begins casting this attack.
  • Volcanic Debris: AoEs will fall around the arena. Avoid the circle AoE indicators that will appear.
  • 10-tonze Slash: Turns towards a random player and begins casting a large cone AoE in their direction. Move out of the AoE indicator to avoid.
  • Liquid Carapace: Otake-maru will throw his weapons and begin following a random player while spewing lava to his front. The targeted player should run away from the boss to avoid being hit with the lava, while the other players avoid the boss as well.
    • Eventually, Otake-maru's weapons will fall back down to the arena, dealing damage where they land. When Liquid Carapace has finished casting, the boss will leap towards each of his weapons, dealing damage when he grabs them. Stay away from the dropped weapons to avoid taking unnecessary damage.

Otake-maru will repeat these attacks until he is defeated. Pay close attention to what the boss is doing to ensure you are able to avoid his attacks in time.

Kamaitachi

The second boss of this dungeon is Kamaitachi. Similar to the first boss, each of Kamaitachi's attacks will inflict a stacking vulnerability up debuff.

  • Whipping Wittret: Deals high damage to the front of the boss. The Tank should face Kamaitachi away from the rest of the party to avoid hitting them with this attack.
  • Howling Wind: This attack is a large donut AoE, and its indicator is only visible for a second before the attack goes off. Watch for the message "The wind begins to howl!" to prepare to dodge this attack.
  • The Patient Blade: Deals damage to the front-half side of the boss. Move behind the boss to avoid.
  • Shifting Wind: A large line AoE that goes through the boss. Similar to Howling Wind, this attack is only telegraphed for a second before the AoE resolves. To avoid it, watch for the message "The wind shifts!" and move accordingly.
  • Whispers in the Wind: Kamaitachi will fly away, summoning Tsumuji-kaze adds, moving tornadoes, and wind orbs. Walking into the wind orbs will cause them to explode, dealing damage in the area.
    • Tsumuji-kaze: These wind sprite adds will use tornado AoEs to deal damage. Defeat them as soon as possible.
    • Late Harvest: Kamaitachi will dash between the moving tornadoes, dealing damage each time he dashes. Watch for the orange lines that appear between the tornadoes and move accordingly to avoid.
  • Reaper's Gale: After Whispers in the Wind, Kamaitachi will return to the arena and cast this attack. Reaper's Gale is a proximity AoE centered on the boss. Move as far away as you can to take less damage from this attack.

Kamaitachi will repeat these attacks until he is defeated. As the fight progresses, these attacks will be used with greater frequency. Move carefully during Whispers in the Wind and pay attention to the messages indicating the boss's attacks.

Genbu

The final boss of Hells' Lid is Genbu. This fight will take place in an arena made up of seven hexagonal tiles, which will be important for a mechanic later in the fight. Genbu's attacks and mechanics are detailed below.

  • Caduceus: Deals high damage to the Tank. Use defensive cooldowns to mitigate this damage.
  • Hell of Water: Deals damage in a cross AoE centered on Genbu. Move out of the AoE indicator to avoid.
  • Hell of Waste: Targets random players with a large circle AoE marker. Spread out to avoid overlapping these AoEs.
  • Sinister Tide: Each of the seven floor tiles will begin glowing with an arrow, and a blue water orb will appear on one of the tiles. After a short delay, the orb will move along the path of the tiles according to the direction the arrow is pointing. Each time the orb moves, it will deal damage to that tile. To avoid this attack, find a tile that is not in the path of the orb and move there. Alternatively, you can move to the first tile the orb appears in immediately after it moves away from that tile.
  • Hell of Waves: Deals damage to all players and knocks them back. The first time this attack is used is immediately before Genbu summons the Chelonian Gate.
  • Chelonian Gate: Genbu will move to the center of the arena and summon the Chelonian Gate, making himself invulnerable. Then, he will begin charging the Focus Duty Gauge. While Genbu is charging, certain tiles of the arena will explode, dealing damage. When the Focus Gauge is filled, Genbu will cast Divine Cataract.
    • Divine Cataract: Deals damage to all players according to how high the Focus Gauge is. If it is 100 percent full, you will take lethal damage from this attack. To prevent this, destroy the Chelonian Gate before the Focus Gauge is full. Genbu will then use this attack when the Gate is destroyed or when Focus reaches 100.

Genbu will repeat these attacks, except for Chelonian Gate, until he is defeated. Watch the position of the water orb during Sinister Tide and move accordingly. Additionally, as the fight progresses, Genbu will overlap some of these attacks. For example, he will use Hell of Waves during Sinister Tide, knocking you back while the orb moves. Position yourself accordingly to avoid taking damage as you defeat Genbu.

Next: Final Fantasy 14: Complete Guide To Universal Markers