Final Fantasy 14 has tons of optional content, including alliance raids, which are grand 24-man dungeons. If youâve recently caught up to the main story in the game, you may want to work on unlocking these raids.
Notably, most of the gear from these raids (except the last Endwalker raid) is pretty outdated, though lots of it does make good glamour. You can also get things like minions, orchestrion rolls, and Triple Triad cards from these raids, too. (Not to mention that the story for each of these raid lines is good!)
FFXIV alliance raids and alliance raid roulette, explained
Once you have two such raids unlocked, youâll unlock alliance raid roulette in the duty finder, rewarding you with lots of EXP and Poetics for queueing into a randomly selected one of these raids.
Unlocking and completing alliance raids is entirely optional, with exception of the A Realm Reborn alliance raid series, The Crystal Tower. While it used to be optional, it became a mandatory part of the story in patch 5.3. If you already progressed past the main scenario quest âA Time to Every Purpose,â then you donât need to complete it, though.
That said, we list where to unlock all FFXIV alliance raids below. We point out where to start, but as you complete the quests, you will need to continuing talking to any nearby NPCs with the blue plus sign quest marker above their heads to continue progressing.
Where to unlock A Realm Rebornâs alliance raids, âThe Crystal Towerâ
The three raids for this series are âThe Labyrinth of the Ancients,â âSycrus Tower,â and âThe World of Darkness.â
To start this raid, you need to have completed the main scenario quest âThe Ultimate Weapon,â and then talk to the NPC called Outlandish Man in Mor Dhona at the spot below to start the âLegacy of Allagâ side quest:
The quests that actually unlock the duties in the quest line share the name as their respective alliance raid. (So the quest âLabyrinth of the Ancientsâ unlocks the raid of the same name.)
Where to unlock Heavenswardâs alliance raids, âShadow of Mhachâ
The three Heavensward alliance raids are âThe Void Ark,â âThe Weeping City of Mhach,â and âDun Scaith.â
To unlock these raids, you will need to have completed the main scenario quest, âHeavensward.â You can start the side quest âSky Piratesâ from the NPC Unquiet Trader in The Pillars (Ishgard) at the spot below:
The names of the actual quests that unlock the duties throughout the story are as follows:
- âTo Rule the Skiesâ unlocks âThe Void Arkâ
- âThe Weeping Cityâ unlocks âThe Weeping City of Mhachâ
- âWhere Shadows Reignâ unlocks âDun Scaithâ
Where to unlock Stormbloodâs alliance raids, âReturn to Ivaliceâ
The three Stormblood alliance raids are âThe Royal City of Rabanastre,â âThe Ridorana Lighthouse,â and âThe Orbonne Monastery.â
Youâll need to finish the MSQ âStormbloodâ to start this quest line. It begins at the NPC Keiten in Kugane with the quest âDramatis Personaeâ in the location below:
The names of the actual quests that unlock the duties throughout the story are as follows:
- âA City Fallenâ unlocks âThe Royal City of Rabanastreâ
- âAnnihilationâ unlocks âThe Ridorana Lighthouseâ
- âThe City of Lost Angelsâ unlocks âThe Orbonne Monasteryâ
Where to unlock Shadowbringerâs alliance raids, âYoRHa: Dark Apocalypseâ
The Shadowbringers alliance raids are a crossover with the Nier series. Youâll see familiar faces like 2B and 9S in the three raids, âThe Copied Factory,â âThe Puppetsâ Bunker,â and âThe Tower at Paradigmâs Breach.â
Youâll need to complete the MSQ âShadowbringersâ to unlock these raids fully. Talk to the Gossipy Dwarf in Kholusia at the spot below to start âWord about Komra.â
The names of the actual quests that unlock the duties throughout the story are as follows:
- âOn the Thresholdâ unlocks âThe Copied Factoryâ
- âEverything You Know is Wrongâ unlocks âThe Puppetsâ Bunkerâ
- âBrave New Worldâ unlocks âThe Tower at Paradigmâs Breachâ
Where to unlock Endwalkerâs alliance raids, âMyths of the Realmâ
The Endwalker alliance raids are âAglaia,â âEuphrosyne,â and âThaeleia.â
To start this quest line, youâll need to finish the MSQ âA Brotherâs Grief.â Once you do this, you can talk to the Fresh-faced Student in Old Sharlayan to start the quest âA Mission in Mor Dhona.â
The names of the actual quests that unlock the duties throughout the story are as follows:
- âThe Realm of the Godsâ unlocks âAglaiaâ
- âReturn to the Phantom Realmâ unlocks âEuphrosyneâ
- âThe Heart of the Mythâ unlocks âThaleiaâ
Where to unlock Dawntrailâs alliance raids, âEchoes of Vanaâdielâ
The only Dawntrail alliance raids so far is âJeuno: The First Walk.â
To start this quest line, youâll need to finish the MSQ âDawntrail.â Once you do this, you can talk to the Hoobigo Messenger in Tuliyollal to start the quest âAn Otherworldly Encounter.â
The name of the actual quest that unlocks the duty is as follows:
- âAn Otherworldly Encounterâ unlocks Jeuno: The First Walk.
The Echoes of Vanaâdiel alliance raid series will have two more raids â one that launches with patch 7.3 and another that launches in patch 7.5, so long as the game continues to follow previous expansion schedules.
If youâre just starting out in the massive world of Final Fantasy 14, we have tons of guides to help you. We have a beginnerâs guide to get you started, along with guides detailing when youâll get your mount and which Grand Company you should join.
If youâre starting but are feeling overwhelmed, we have guides to help with picking a job and a guide that explains how long it takes to beat FFXIV and catch up to current content.
We also have guides on side content, like ocean fishing, relic weapons, and Island Sanctuary, for those who want to take a break from it all.