Pandaemonium is the first set of FFXIV Endwalker raids, and this guide is to help you unlock and complete the first of the four raids, the Pandaemonium Asphodelos: First Circle.
Final Fantasy XIV just released their latest update on the Endwalker expansion and it also brought in more challenges with the its newest high-end raid called Pandaemonium. This raid starts off in Asphodelos and is comprised of several floors or circles where players will have to defeat each encounter to proceed to the next circle.
How to Unlock The Pandaemonium Asphodelos Raids
To unlock the first four Pandaemonium raids and enter Asphodelos, players must first be at least level 90 for a combat job and have completed the quest chain The Crystal from Beyond, and the FFXIV Endwalker Main Scenario Quests. To run the raids, your gear item level must be at least 565.
To start the quest The Crystal from Beyond talk to Nemjiji in Old Sharlayan (X:9.6 Y:11.9), indicated by a blue icon on the map. This questline takes you to Labyrinthos and then Elpis. The quest Where Familiars Dare unlocks the Asphodelos: The First Circle.
How to defeat Erichthonios in Asphodelos: The First Circle
The first encounter is Erichthonios, the Warder of Condemned. To defeat Erichthonios, you have to complete the two main phases, the first phase is in a square arena, and the second phase is in a round arena.
It’s also best to always remember that touching the edges of the arena means insta-death, so know your positioning and don’t stray too far. And also, the boss can stack up attacks either simultaneously or in quick succession, so focus and quick thinking is necessary for the entire party.
In this guide, we will be looking into the attack patterns of each encounter and how to deal with them so be warned, there will be spoilers! We recommend experiencing the encounters first and when the fights get a tad bit challenging, you can simply head back here and look through the guides.
First Phase – to defeat Erichthonios in Asphodelos: The First Circle
- Gaoler’s Flail: The boss will be swinging its chain with either its left or its right hand, bisecting the arena. To avoid this, just simply move to the side opposite to the swinging arm.
- Warder’s Wrath: An AOE attack that covers the entire arena so it can’t be avoided. Make sure that your healer/s prepare their cooldown and have their heals ready once the attack hits.
- Pitiless Flail: A random party member will be marked with a horizontal AOE. Upon getting the mark, make sure to steer clear from your party members, but stay as close as possible to the boss as the attack has knockback that can push you towards the edge of the arena. Immediately after, the member will be marked again, so all party members should stack up to mitigate the damage.
- Heavy Hand: The party’s tank will be targeted. Healer/s should focus healing the tank right after.
- Intemperance: The boss will divide the arena into four parts, with each quadrant having stacked hot and cold crystals. Take note of the bottom crystals in each quadrant to prepare for the next attack.
- Intemperate Torment: The boss will mark party members with either a hot or a cold debuff. After the casting the spell, the bottom crystal in each quadrant explode. You need to move to the quadrant with the bottom crystal that is opposite to your debuff to avoid damage.
Second Phase – to defeat Erichthonios in Asphodelos: The First Circle
- Shining Cells: The boss will transform the arena and divide it into alternating hot and cold spots.
- Aetherchain: The boss will cast either ice orbs or fire orbs that will swirl around him. Ice orbs will indicate that the cold spots will explode at the end of the cast, while fire orbs will be the indication for the hot spots. The boss takes around 5 seconds to cast the spell, so just move to the spot with the color opposite to the orbs to avoid damage.
- Aetherflail: This is a combination of the Gaoler’s Flail and the Aetherchain, cutting your choice on where to stand in half. Take note of where the boss is facing and stand directly in front or behind him to shorten the travel distance to a safe spot.
- Slam Shut: Another heavy hitting AOE that can’t be avoided. Healer/s must make sure that everyone is fully healed before the attack hits. This attack marks the end of the second phase, to which the fight moves back to the first phase.
The fight will just cycle through the two phases until Erichthonios is defeated.
FFXIV Endwalker – Pandaemonium: Asphodelos Raid Drops
Running the Pandaemonium Asphodelos: The First Circle in FFXIV will reward you with loot. But take note that if you ran the raid and successfully rolled and obtained loot, you can’t get more loot from that raid until the weekly limit resets.
The weekly reset occurs every Tuesday midnight at 12:00 AM PST.
Getting gear from FFXIV raids isn’t simple. Each raid will drop loot corresponding to various equipment slots. Each raid only drops specific loot types, and you need a certain number of each loot type to trade in for the actual gear.
Loot Drop | # of tokens Required for Exchange | Pandaemonium Asphodelos Raid |
Unsung Armor of Asphodelos | 4 | The First Circle, The Second Circle, The Third Circle, The Fourth Circle |
Unsung Chausses of Asphodelos | 4 | The First Circle, The Second Circle, The Third Circle, The Fourth Circle |
Unsung Gauntlets of Asphodelos | 2 | The First Circle, The Second Circle, The Third Circle, The Fourth Circle |
Unsung Greaves of Asphodelos | 2 | The First Circle, The Second Circle, The Fourth Circle |
Unsung Helm of Asphodelos | 2 | The First Circle, The Second Circle, The Third Circle |
Unsung Ring of Asphodelos | 1 | The First Circle, The Second Circle, The Third Circle, The Fourth Circle |
Unsung Blade of Asphodelos | 7 | The Fourth Circle |
Every week, when you clear Asphodelos: The Fourth Circle, you’ll get a guaranteed Unsung Blade of Asphodelos. 7 can be traded for a Discal Tomestone. The tomestone is currently useless, but will be used to gain the next tomestone weapon in Patch 6.05. Obtain the weapon by trading a Discal Tomestone and 500 Astronomy Tomestones in patch 6.05.
Where to Exchange Pandaemonium: Asphodelos Raid Tokens in FFXIV
You can exchange your loot to Djole in Radz-at-Han (X: 10.3, Y: 9.6) or Mylenie in Labyrinthos (X: 8.3, Y: 27.6). Both are labeled “Pandaemonium Relic Exchange” and sell the same items, though the latter requires completion of the current Pandaemonium quest chain. Both Djole or Mylenie will accept 7 Unsung Blades for 1 Discal Tomestone.
This means you’ll need weeks of re-runs to fully equip yourself in item level 580 gear. You can only get one drop per week, so plan ahead. The drop restrictions should be removed in patch 6.1, then you can roll for anything based on previous expansions.
If you want to invite your friends to help you out on the raids, they may have to wait for now while FFXIV sales are still suspended as of this writing. Read more about the suspension here.
This is just the first of the four circles that you and your party will have to face in the Pandaemonium raid. Don’t you worry, we also have you covered with our guide on Asphodelos: The Second Circle up next.
Also read:
- FFXIV Raid Pandaemonium Asphodelos – The Second Circle Guide
- FFXIV Raid Pandaemonium Asphodelos – The Third Circle Guide
- FFXIV Raid Pandaemonium Asphodelos – The Fourth Circle Guide
Also read our other Final Fantasy XIV content.
Check out this video by On Quest on the Pandaemonium – Asphodelos: The First Circle – FFXIV Endwalker Raid:
