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Okay here we go: thread of FFXIV dungeon opinions in order of my Duty Finder list:
Sastasha: I'd love it more if it didn't show up all the time in leveling when all of my jobs are at least 70 now. No mechanics here but The Hole and the room where the pirates fight each other are still memorable for me.
Tam-Tara: It's alright. It's pretty straightforward. I like you can multiple it
Copperbell: Gets plus points for having a unique second boss. Otherwise it's a starter dungeon what else do you want me to say about it
Halatali: It's short. It's fine.
Toto Rak: Ah yes. This place. It wouldn't be so bad if not for those heavy slimes and all the debuff noises that came with it.
Haukke: I really like this version even in normal and I'm not sure why? But I love the atmosphere and the layout of the place.
Brayflox: The OG "you better know how to play your job or you're fucked" dungeon. Gets plus points for being an open area dungeon because it's quite pretty. I used to have wipes here because of bad pulling decisions but it's fine now
Qarn: The OG "if you got through brayflox without knowing how to play your job out of sheer luck then this WILL fuck you" dungeon. It's ruins, Lycelle loves the place, I don't so much. Love how there's a stunnable thing in every boss in here though
(Also, fire strawberry.)
(Also, fire strawberry.)
Cutter's Cry: Fuck Cutter's Cry.
Stone Vigil: The first dungeon that actually gave me a hard time the first time around (thanks Isgebind). It's challenging enough to keep me awake so it's in the "it's fine I guess" category
Dzemael Darkhold: I like it. In the "I like it because there's so many things that could go wrong in here oh god the frog threw me off a cliff" kind of way.
Aurum Vale: unpopular opinion I like piss valley. My runs in it during earlier expansions were actually okay imo. I still think that syncing it down to level 50 would be the best thing to do with it
CM: BACK IN MY DAY, WE USED COUNTDOWNS FOR CANONS. Would have been an interesting fighr if not for the fact that practically everything is paper.
Praetorium: MSQ memes aside, I genuinely have fond memories of this dungeon - it felt my graduation of sorts. I got to run it with my FC and new people so I was lucky, and the Ultima fights are still great.
WHERE'S MY PENITUS ORCHESTRION
WHERE'S MY PENITUS ORCHESTRION
Amdapor Keep: SPECIAL MENTION TO LB LEFT BEEEEEEEEEEE
I actually liked it back when it wasn't bamboozled by gear actually, it was a fun dungeon to run with!
I actually liked it back when it wasn't bamboozled by gear actually, it was a fun dungeon to run with!
Wanderer's Palace: Gets bias points for Tonberries. Wish the giant one was an actual threat.
:)
:)
Pharos Sirius: MAN WAS THIS DUNGEON HARD AND ANNOYING that first boss was a thing. Beautiful music and location and dungeon setup, too bad the gameplay is ass.
Copperbell HM: Honestly it's been ages since I last got this one....I'm meh in Copperbell in general but it still gets points for interesting boss mechanics
Haukke HM: All the beauty of the original Haukke atmosphere with the added bonus of being really fun to big pull! Definitely one of my favorite ARR dungeons
LCoA: god this place was beautiful - from the setting to the music to the hints of ancient civilization... the Diablos reveal was beautiful too. Absolutely a gem.
Halatali HM: My favorite part about this dungeon is the premise: the fact that this isn't your basic "get into this dungeon to find/fight something" and instead having you test run the rebuilt coliseum is neat if you ask me. Otherwise it's plain fun.
Brayflox HM: The dungeon to go for Myth farming...I wasn't playing back then but it's okay. Nicely pace, fun to do big pulls in.
Hullbreaker: Like Brayflox, gets bonus points for being an open air dungeon - there's a super neat vista at the start of it too. I'm not the biggest fan of the downtime for numerous bosses though and the traps are annoying.
Tam-Tara HM: OH BOY THIS QUESTLINE. Even now the music and the atmosphere gives me the creeps tbh. A really good attempt for a horror atmosphere if you ask me.
SV HM: lol canons.
I don't like it, but I don't hate it either? The final boss was a great introduction to no aggro monsters but other than that it's alright, I guess.
I don't like it, but I don't hate it either? The final boss was a great introduction to no aggro monsters but other than that it's alright, I guess.
Snowcloak: The good ice-themed dungeon. The music is nice and new especially back then, and it has interesting boss mechanics - especially the second one, that honestly had enough mechanics to be a trial or something.
Sastasha HM: While the music is, again, good and the colors are nice it is the mechanics that I like most about this place - I got this a lot on EXR back in the day and never got tired of it.
And this is the part where I'll say that the dungeons introduced in 2.4 and 2.5 in general are just really good in terms of gameplay, they did interesting things on their bosses.
Qarn HM: Would love this place more if not for the fact that I HAD TO RUN THIS 21 TIMES STRAIGHT FOR MY RELIC WEAPON. But again, has interesting boss mechanics. Also finally I can appreciate the ruins!
KotL: I recognize that the reason that I like this dungeon is because I'm not a melee player.
The charm points of this dungeon for me is definitely the music - both the standard dungeon and the final boss theme are great, and the final boss is still one of my personal favorites.
The charm points of this dungeon for me is definitely the music - both the standard dungeon and the final boss theme are great, and the final boss is still one of my personal favorites.
Wish those Garlean alarms could stop being so annoyingly noisy though.
WP HM: And here we are, my favorite dungeon of ARR that doesn't have to rely on the gravitas of the MSQ to make it great. The heroic melody of the theme alongside the fact that we are now saving the tonberries we gave me such a high.
The bosses has a clever. mechanic that is still not often utilized in the game. The duty complete cutscene.
AK HM: It nailed the creepy atmosphere so well. (honestly 2.5 had some of the best music in terms of dungeons thank you soken) Admittedly I'm not into the bosses of this one as much as the others but I do love the demon wall pulls
Dusk Vigil: has the dubious accomplishment for being my second least favorite dungeon after Cutter's Cry. Was it hard? No. Was it annoying to run? No.
But it sure committed the cardinal sin of boring me. A shame too, the flavor text was neat.
But it sure committed the cardinal sin of boring me. A shame too, the flavor text was neat.
Sohm Al: ngl the reason I put this dungeon over "I like the gameplay" is because it took some stuff from coil and I just thought that was really neat. otherwise it's just there, I guess
The Aery: The HW dungeon I keep getting the most in roulette. Bribed me into putting it as a dungeon I like for having cool gear and all the purple. Estinien is there and it is my ritual to slap him.
The Vault: That sudden jump in difficulty, lol. A fun dungeon gameplay wise, and I would probably like the atmosphere too if I wasn't so allergic to evil catholic churches. They should have let us enter that garden.
Gubal Library: now HERE's one of my favorites. admittedly it's from a biased standpoint in that i love libraries AND jazz, but the fact that you can pick up so much woldbuilding in this place is great too. Not the most interesting mechanically, but gets points for uniqueness
ARF: I'm torn - I love Imagination, I love running it because I'm not a fool that farmed it for their relic. But the thing is, it's a final dungeon, and it hardly does shit for it. The bosses are great but honestly of all the allagan dungeons it's the most generic one.
Neverreap: Fuck tornadoes.
Fractal Continuum: The other sad thing about ARF is that this dungeon also exists on the same release and just does everything with its setting but way better. The concept of a dangerous museum is nice, and shows you all the fucked up stuff Allag once did.
Saint Mocianne: Like I said earlier, it's a dungeon that I don't necessarily like but I don't hate it either, most of my memories of it are more on the players than the actual dungeon.
Pharos HM: Pharos Sirius but with less annoying bosses. Music and atmosphere is as great as always, but while it's less annoying I'm still kinda lukewarm on its mechanics.
Antitower: Once again a fan of its music and atmosphere, and I had a field day of looking over the architecture just because of how hungry I was for Sharlayan information. I remember loving the bosses here as well.
LCoA HM: Has the same charm as the original LCoA and I love how it differs from that but I don't recall the mechanics of this dungeon being particularly interesting? The first one was fascinating but it lost me on the other two.
Sohr Khai: Dravanian architecture is just so pretty....I love the non-standard stages for this place, I love the music, I love the importance of this dungeon alongside the story. Definitely one of my favorites.
Hullbreaker HM: Take my compliments of original Hullbreaker's atmosphere and combine it with my compliments of Halatali HM's premise and you have my opinion of this dungeon. Seeing familiar NPCs is a treat, and I love that Carvallain's dialogue changes depending on your run time.
Xelphatol: Would have been great if it wasn't paired with one of my favorite HW dungeons, lol. I do think it's neat that the entire dungeon is in just one instance, and the vertical nature is pretty cool.
Gubal HM: "What if we take one of Novas' favorite dungeons...and make it better?" It just builds upon its strong points man. That owl is also a pretty cool dude, too.
Baelsar's Wall: Hate the pulls before the first boss, love the two afterwards. The music is definitely the standout for this dungeon though, I wasn't expecting such a heroic reprise of Serenity. Started the tone of my beloved SB in an amazing note.
Sohm Al HM: Quick and easy to farm, and sometimes that's all you need.
Sirensong Sea: Did I mention that I think Soken does a good job with the spooky music? Otherwise I honestly don't feel too strongly about it because of the color palette. Not a fan.
Shisui: Man is this dungeon beautiful. (The dungeon gear is beautiful too). I'm not the biggest fan of the bosses myself (ESPECIALLY THE SECOND ONE) but there's enough to look at that it's not a drag.
From here on out SB dungeons in general have a consistently good quality to it and is a huge reason why I love this expansion.
Bardam's Mettle: Bardam's is great. It's open air, it has a lot of interesting points of interest, it has good music, it has bosses with interesting mechanics. The second boss in particular shocked me and got me excited because no other boss was like that before.
Doma Castle: NOTHING LIKE LIKE RECLAIMING A COUNTRY TO THE TUNE OF A HIGH ENERGY VERSION OF THE YANXIA LEITMOTIF!! It has a decent level of difficulty and it just made me feel good to play it tbh.
Castrum Abania: probably the most underrated of my favorite dungeons? It's the garlean/magitek dungeon that I love the most. Once again the mechanics are good because SB dungeon mechanics are good and fun to big pull but I also love Alienus a lot. It pumps me up.
Ala Mhigo: "novas we get it you love dungeons that get you hyped and excited" OH YOU BET I AM. And here's a bonus thing: the Lochs' leitmotif is one of my favorite things and putting in a dungeon will always give it plus points to me.
A breathtaking final dungeon - the fact that you see all the allied forces united fighting in the background is so good. The boss pulls are great. The lore drop in the second boss is such a treat, Zenos is always a fun guy to fight against.
Kugane Castle: I sound like a broken record saying "this dungeon has good atmosphere and music and boss mechanics" and while I would say this one has the weakest of the 3.0 set it makes up for it for having fucking Yojimbo. That had me in stitches.
Temple of the Fist: See above, but with better bosses in my opinion even if it's not as tantalizing to look at. Would punch Koji Fox for that second boss though.
Skalla: Anything with the Lochs leitmotif is an instant good dungeon for me. (Great gear, too.) While "dungeoning for treasure" is generic its refreshing after all the saving the world stuff we've done before. Also: Arenvald.
(The bosses are annoying though I'll give you that)
(The bosses are annoying though I'll give you that)
Hell's Lid: While not a biggest fan of it design wise, I remember liking the mob pulls of this dungeon - Genbu is also a fun guy to fight with. imo the weakest link in an expansion of really damn good dungeons.
Wait no it's not the weakest link but I'll get back to that later.
Fractal (Hard): Like Gubal, it took a dungeon that I like and made it even better even if it sure exposed how bad the Allag were at naming things lol. Just a great dungeon all around.
The Swallow's Compass: The land, the sea, the sky - this dungeon sure had everything huh? It also had some interesting trash pulls, which is why it ranks so positively in my opinions. I'm also a Journey to the West fan, so the final boss made me very excited as well.
The Burn: One of my favorite dungeons, and I had to after dedicating an entire section of my 4.4 document on it. The architecture of the allag stuff is fascinating, the environment sublime, the music amazing foreshadowing (PENITUS ORCHESTRION WHE -), the final boss kicked my ass.
Mocianne's HM: The actual weak link of the expansion and the only time I felt like Soken's music was a miss. The reverb hurts my ears, sadly, and it's just a modified version of the Hinterlands night theme. Running through it is...okay, I guess?
Ghimlyt Dark: Ugh, this dungeon. This dungeon is so good. The way they meshed up the leitmotifs? The NPCs that fight alongside you? Gee Stormblood how come your mom lets you have two amazing final dungeons.
This one's for you, Papalymo.
This one's for you, Papalymo.
Holminster: FINALLY WE'RE HERE. The best start of expansion dungeon by miles, not that it had much competition - having a color scheme that's not entirely one note helps a lot. I would say though that ShB kinda takes a step back in boss mechanic simplicity so far.
Dohn Mheg: Pretty and hilarious. Hilariously pretty. The size mechanic and the bridge mechanic are still fun things to do even on repeat. Urianger can't heal me through big pulls and that is unfortunate.
Qitana: As much as I love the last portions of this dungeon and the music (this is a given by now). The ruins were a bit lackluster for me. Mayhaps because the instance already gave me my fill?
Malikah's Well: A bit of a breather dungeon, which is reasonable considering....looks at what happens right before this.
It took me a bit to warm up to the music but I eventually really liked it! I just wish it looped better. First boss is eh but I love bucket man and Storge.
It took me a bit to warm up to the music but I eventually really liked it! I just wish it looped better. First boss is eh but I love bucket man and Storge.
Mt. Gulg: GEE SHADOWBRINGERS HOW COME YOUR MOM LETS YOU HAVE THREE AMAZING FINAL DUNGEONS.
Seriously though. This could be the final dungeon of the expansion and I would not be mad about it. That heroic rush, the slowly transforming landscape, the enemies, the. Everything.
Seriously though. This could be the final dungeon of the expansion and I would not be mad about it. That heroic rush, the slowly transforming landscape, the enemies, the. Everything.
I don't have words. I cannot verbalize how much I love this dungeon because it will all come out as relentless gushing.
THE BUILDUP TO THIS MOMENT TOO HOLY CRAP THIS IS SO NEAT THIS PORTION OF THE STORY IS SO NEAT OF MY GOD I
Amaurot: Here we are. The undisputed favorite. The one primary example for me of what a dungeon should strive to be. I got this recently on roulette and I cried all over it again.
I gushed over this dungeon for days after beating 5.0 but to reiterate: the reason why I love this dungeon is the incorporation of its lore towards the direct experience of it. Most of the time you need to stop your party to read something when it comes to dungeon lore
But not with this one, because all you need to do to see said lore is to go through the dungeon. It's there, on your surroundings, on the map, on the enemies you fate. On that final sight that stills me to speechlessness every time.
This is how you tell a story within a video game.
Twinning: While a good bop and fun to run the reason why this isn't among my top dungeons is because it has the advantage of being able to refer to three entire questlines before this, of course it was gonna hit hard. But still a good dungeon, and the final boss is great.
Akadaemia: If you've been reading this, you know that I love jazz, and as a fan of this particular civilization walking through this was always a delight. The bosses could be better, but I'm a fan of the big pulls here.
Grand Cosmos: This place is so pretty damn, and I like the bosses...............................conceptually
fuck brooms. I hate brooms. They're rough and coarse and they get everywhere. The other two are cool though.
fuck brooms. I hate brooms. They're rough and coarse and they get everywhere. The other two are cool though.
Anamnesis: REMEMBER WHEN I SAID I LIKE JAZZ
The only minus for me on this dungeon is that I get it on EXR when I want the other one more. :( Also the first pulls are boring. I'm a big fan of the final boss though!
The only minus for me on this dungeon is that I get it on EXR when I want the other one more. :( Also the first pulls are boring. I'm a big fan of the final boss though!
Heroes' Gauntlet: The Ghimlyt Dark of Shadowbringers, of course it was going to be hype, even down to the music. I also feel like it is the best paced out of the ShB set thus far? Would love to farm it repeatedly tbh
I DID IT I'M DONE. if you actually read the entirety of this thread congratulations to you, thanks you for listening to my great (?) takes. the tl;dr would always be Amaurot -> ////////////// -> Cutter's Cry though
