Final Fantasy XIV: How to beat Erichthonios

The Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker raid has begun, summoning all players to Pandaemonium's twisted citadel. This region is under the direct supervision of Lahabrea, ol' "hammer of darkness" himself from way back in the Praetorium, as a research laboratory for the most hazardous monsters. Look no further if you're seeking a guide on how to defeat Erichthonios in Asphodelos: The First Circle.

1st phase

Erichthonios begins the fight by casting Gaoler's Flail. He'll quickly anchor a hook to the ground, which will indicate which side of the arena will be targeted. Stay on the other side of the room from the hook at all times. He'll use this skill twice in a row, swapping the two parts of the chamber each time.

He'll then use Warder's Wrath. Simply put, this is a massive AoE attack that must be neutralised or repaired. He'll follow that up with Pitiless Flail, in which he attacks a non-tank member of the party. To avoid being shoved into the death wall, whoever he targets will want to stand as near to the boss as possible. The image above depicts the polar opposite of what you should do.

True Holy, an AoE stack mechanism, will be his next ability to cast. If the target of Pitiless Flail is still alive, he will cast this spell on them. After Pitiless Flail, healers may wish to rescue the target. Before using his next new ability, Heavy Hand, he will use another Gaoler's Flail. Heavy Hand is a tankbuster that must be mitigated or healed.

Intemperance is the next mechanism. Each player will be given an element — Hot Spell or Cold Spell — as a result of this ability. He'll then divide the arena into four quadrants, each with alternating Fire and Iceblock towers. If you have Hot Spell, stand in a square with a Cold block closest to the ground, and if you have Cold Spell, stand in a square with a Cold block closest to the ground. You'll switch components three times, so make sure you're in the right square each time and keep an eye on your debuff.

Phase two

He'll use Warder's Wrath and Heavy Hand a few times before casting Shining Cells, a new ability. This splits the arena into several sections, each of which is divided into two colours: green and red. The attack animations of the next two attacks, Aetherchain and Aetherflail, are worth noting. Stand on the colour opposing the orbs floating around him if he's casting Aetherchain. If the orbs are white, for example, stand on the red segments, and vice versa.

The mechanics of Aetherchain are combined with Gaoler's Flail in Aetherflail. You should stand on the opposite side of where the hook lands, as well as the opposite hue of the orbs. The tells are shown in the image above; in this case, we wanted to be on a red segment on his right side. Be mindful that between and after Aetherflails, Erichthonios may cast Pitiless Flail and True Holy.

Erichthonios will enter another Intemperance Hot/Cold mini-game after exiting Shining Cells. You've seen all of Erichthonios' mechanisms up to this point, as he'll rotate between Phase 1 and Phase 2 mechanics until you kill him.