Ktisis Hyperboreia is a level 87 dungeon in Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker. The fourth dungeon of the expansion, Ktisis Hyperboreia is a research building in the land of Elpis. Venture into the dungeon with your new Ascian friends and confront Hermes.
Attempting to save you from the truth of her sisters' discoveries, Meteion and Hermes have fled to the top of Ktisis Hyperboreia. You'll need to keep a watchful eye as you progress deeper into this research facility. Let's take a look at each boss you'll find in Ktisis Hyperboreia, and how you can beat them.
How To Unlock Ktisis Hyperboreia
To unlock Ktisis Hyperboreia, you will need to progress in the main story until you reach Elpis. Then, follow the quests there until you reach the following quest.
- Accept the Main Scenario Quest 'Caging the Messenger'
- NPC Location: Hythlodaeus - Elpis (x:31.6, y:15.4)
Dungeon Walkthrough
As you journey through Ktisis Hyperboreia, you will come across the various creatures created by the researchers of Elpis. Between each boss are groups of trash mobs that can be pulled together for optimizing AoE rotations.
If this is your first time running this dungeon, we recommend entering the duty with Trusts. Not only will Trust allies fit better into the narrative of the dungeon, they can also complete the mechanics you will encounter perfectly. If you follow where the NPCs run during certain attacks, you can learn the boss's patterns more easily.
Listed below are the three bosses you will fight in Ktisis Hyperboreia, as well as each of their attacks and mechanics.
Lyssa
The first boss of Ktisis Hyperboreia is Lyssa. This giant man-shaped wolf will use its environment to deal massive damage. Listed below are each of Lyssa's attacks.
- Skull Dasher: Deals high damage to the Tank. Use defensive cooldowns to reduce this damage if needed.
- Frigid Stomp: Deals damage to all party members.
- Frostbite and Seek: Lyssa will shroud itself in the blizzard, becoming invisible. After a few seconds, it will emerge at one of the six piles of snow on the ground and begin charging a large AoE that covers most of the arena. To determine where Lyssa will emerge, watch the footprints on the ground. The snow pile where the footprints stop is where the boss will come out, so quickly move to that pile of snow to avoid this attack.
- Icicall: Summons three ice crystals around the arena that will deal damage in a small AoE circle. After a short delay, the ice crystals will then launch a line AoE, forming a triangle pattern. Avoid these AoEs by moving out of the AoE indicators, or by staying in the center of the arena, which will always safe during this attack.
- Heavy Smash: Lyssa will place a stack marker on a random party member. Group up on the affected party member to split the damage of this attack. Heavy Smash will occur during Icicall, so be prepared beforehand by moving before the icicles shoot out their line AoEs.
Ladon Lord
The second boss of Ktisis Hyperboreia is Ladon Lord, a three-headed snake-beast. You can find each of its attacks below.
- Scratch: Deals high damage to the Tank which can be mitigated with defensive abilities.
- Intimidation: Deals damage to all party members.
- Pyric Blast: Ladon Lord will place a stack marker on a random party member. Deal with this attack like other stack markers; group up on the affected player and prepare to heal.
- Inhale: One or two of the boss's heads will begin glowing in preparation for its next attack, Pyric Breath.
- Pyric Breath: Deals damage in a large cone AoE. The direction of this attack depends on which heads are glowing after the boss uses Inhale. Stand on the opposite side of the glowing heads to avoid Pyric Breath.
- Pyric Spheres: Ladon Lord will summon fire orbs around the arena. After a short delay, the orbs will unleash cross-shaped AoE attacks down the lengths of the arena. Stand diagonal to the orbs before they unleash their AoEs to avoid this attack.
Hermes
The final boss of Ktisis Hyperboreia is Hermes, who will use a series of wind-based AoE attacks. Get ready to dodge and pay attention to the boss's castbar. Listed below are each of Hermes's attacks and mechanics.
- Windburn: Deals damage to all party members and covers the edge of the arena with wind, dealing damage to players who enter.
- Double: Grants Hermes a buff that will cast his next attack twice.
- Quadruple: Grants Hermes a buff that will cast his next attack four times.
- True Tornado: Deals high damage to the Tank. If Double is cast before True Tornado, a second attack will occur after, leaving a circular AoE on the Tank's position.
- Trismegistos: Deals damage to all party members. The Healer should be prepared with AoE healing.
- Hermetica: Hermes will summon square-shaped glyphs around the edges of the arena. After a short delay, the glyphs will launch a blast of wind in a line AoE down the arena.
- If Hermetica is used on its own, the glyphs will appear on two adjacent sides of the arena. Find a spot where the AoEs won't hit and move there.
- If Double is used before Hermetica, four glyphs will appear on two adjacent sides of the arena. This can only occur after Meteor, as you'll need to hide behind one of the rocks summoned from that attack to avoid being hit by Double Hermetica. Because there will be glyphs on two sides of the arena, you'll need to use the same rock to avoid this attack twice.
- If Quadruple is used before Hermetica, two glyphs on each side of the arena will be summoned. Watch the order they are summoned in and move accordingly to dodge this attack,
- True Bravery: Grants Hermes a damage buff that lasts for 12 seconds. This attack can be interrupted, and the Trust allies will always interrupt this attack.
- True Aero: Hermes will target each player with a line AoE that will follow you as you move. If Double is used before True Aero, a second line AoE will appear at the same position as the first. Quickly move out of the way after the first line to avoid Double True Aero.
- True Aero II: Hermes will target all players with a circular AoE marker. If Double is used before True Aero II, a second circle AoE will appear at the same position as the first one. Similar to True Aero, quickly move after being hit with the first instance of this attack to avoid Double True Aero II. Additionally, spread out this attack so as not to overlap these AoEs with the rest of your party.
- Meteor: Summons four proximity markers on each side of the arena. Stand in the center to reduce damage from this attack. Then, on each of the proximity marker's locations, a rock will be summoned. Three of the summoned rocks will be cracked looking, while the fourth one is not. As mentioned above, you will need to hide behind the unbroken rock during Double Hermetica to avoid wind blasts from two directions.
As the fight progresses, Hermes will use Double and Quadruple more frequently, increasing the number of AoEs you and your allies will need to dodge. Watch the order the glyphs are summoned during Hermetica, and spread out AoEs when necessary. After defeating Hermes, you will have cleared Ktisis Hyperboreia.
