Want to know the exact FFXIV Lunar Subterrane boss strategies to get through the 6.5 dungeon without a timely reset? Though rarely that difficult, if you're anxious to go into a new dungeon with a random party through fear of causing a wipe, understanding each boss ahead of time really can help.
Down below, we'll go through each of the three Lunar Subterrane bosses in order, detailing their attack patterns, dangerous mechanics, and just about everything else you'll need to know to burst them down before things get too chaotic.
For more FFXIV guides, we've pushed ahead to get a bunch of patch 6.5 tips ready for the expansion's last major update. To start, check out the FFXIV 6.5 quest locations page to unlock more content. For specifics, knowing how to get Divine Twine and Divine Shine can get you some easy gear upgrades. And the new FFXIV 6.5 PVP gear is a nice incentive for the Crystalline Conflict PVP mode.
How to beat each boss in the Final Fantasy 14 Lunar Subterrane dungeon
Whether you're playing with Trust NPCs or other players, there's every chance that you not knowing how to beat a Lunar Subterrane boss can set your run back another five minutes. Here are the boss attacks you'll want to avoid, how to actually deal with them, and how to burst them down quickly.
Dark Elf - FFXIV Lunar Subterrane boss first boss strategy
Here's every attack the Dark Elf boss has under its belt and how to avoid falling to them. Read on for a more detailed breakdown of the entire fight:
Attack name | Attack effect |
|---|---|
Hexing Staves | Summons staves on random tiles along the arena. |
Sorcerous Shroud | Turns the tethered Hexing Staves invisible. |
Ruinous Confluence | Causes the summoned staves to explode along their cardinal directions. Applies Doom if hit. |
Shadowy Sigil | Brands each tile of the arena with a square or triangle symbol - the symbol circling the Dark Elf denotes which tiles will explode at the end of the cast. |
Void Dark II | Small AoEs on each player. |
Staff Smite | Tank buster. |
Abyssal Outburst | Raid-wide damage. |
The Dark Elf boss is a classic case of increased difficulty over time. It introduces you to its mechanics quickly, eventually adding additional elements to each and rattling off multiple in quick succession.
The one thing to really pay attention to is when Hexing Staves begins summoning three instead of two. These always make only one square safe on the area. Take note of the spot before Sorcerous Shroud removes your reference point.
If Dark Elf casts Void Dark II and Shadowy Sigil after obscuring the staves, reposition for these first — Hexing Staves only resolves at the end of the Ruinous Confluence cast, meaning you're safe to stand in any safe spot for Shadowy Sigil as Void Dark II lands. Just remember to return to the one safe square as the Dark Elf's Ruinious Confluence cast nears completion.
Damcyan Antlion - FFXIV Lunar Subterrane second boss strategy
Here are the few attacks the Damcyan Antlion boss uses. Read on for a breakdown of what to watch out for:
Attack name | Attack effect |
|---|---|
Sandblast | Raid-wide damage |
Landslip | Pushes you two squares in the direction of the arrows you stand on. Any pillars damaged by Antlion March will fall across the arena as the effect resolves. |
Antlion March | Plots out a five-part path. Any Stone Pillars hit become damaged. |
Earthen Geyser | Stack marker area attack. Causes quicksand to form under the target that will kill if not exited. |
Pound Sand | Large area damage beneath the boss. Follows Earthen Geyser. |
If there's one killer mechanic of the Damcyan Antlion boss, it's the combination of Antlion March and Landslip. It causes a need to think quick on your feet.
With Antlion March, the boss returns to the back centre of the arena before plotting a five-point charge along the terrain. Not only will you want to position yourself out of its road, but you'll want to take note of the two pillars it hits along them. These two pillars dictate how to approach the forced reposition that Landslip causes.
Imagine each pillar as a measurement of the arena's size and you'll be fine. Just avoid the Antlion March path as normal, take note of which two rows of the arena the pillars will fall on, and stand in the lane whose arrows will move you two pillars up or down into a safe spot.
If they're to land next to each other or the furthest possible distance between, you'll want to stand in the landing zone of one. If they're alternating, you'll want to stand in a safe spot to be pushed into another safe spot.
For the Earthen Geyser and Pound Sand combo that usually comes after the Antlion and Landslip sequence, just stack up wherever and either begin moving out of the Earthen Geyser immediately, or use Sprint to leave quickly. Just get away from the crab.
Durante - FFXIV Lunar Subterrane boss final boss strategy
Here's a list of the attacks Durante uses and how best to survive them. Read on for a more detailed breakdown of what to watch out for:
Attack name | Attack effect |
|---|---|
Old Magic | Raid-wide area damage. |
Duplicitous Battery | Form an alternating spiral of small area attacks. Stand in the landing zone of the second spiral and move into a struct area as the first spiral resolves. |
Forsaken Fount | Summons balls across the arena that explode in a medium-size area. |
Fallen Grace | Targetted area damage - usually comes as Duplicitious Battery resolves. |
Contrapasso | Cuts Forsaken Fount balls in half and moves them to opposite sides of the area to explode in a slightly smaller radius than normal. |
Antipodal Assault | Dash stack area attack. |
Hard Slash | Strikes a 90-degree part of the arena from the edge. |
Twilight Phase | Summons phantom spikes that blast the direction they're facing. |
Dark Impact | Summons a dark orb in the centre of the arena that slowly falls to strike the targetted edge of the arena elsewhere. Retreat to the furthest edge. |
Death's Journey | Causes an area attack within melee range of the boss and summons purple lines out to the edges of the arena. Stand away from the boss and the furthest distance between two lines. |
Durante can be considered a two-phase boss. He intends to confuse and confound with patterns and moving area attacks.
To keep things simple, you just need to watch out for the Forsaken Fount modified with Contrapasso, and maybe Duplicitous Battery on your first run.
The former summons orbs that simply explode. They're easily avoided the first time around. The second time summons a few more orbs, with the third onward combining it with Contrapasso, slicing them in half and pushing them to other parts of the arena before they explode. This makes only one safe spot that you might struggle to see.
To easily avoid the Forsaken Fount/Contrapasso combo, just ignore the larger cluster of orbs and run straight to the lone one. It should split to reveal a safe spot where it once stood.
For Duplicitous Battery, the alternating spiral might look confusing, but if you see it as covering one side of the boss on the first pass, and the other one the second, you can just move from the left to the right, or the right to the left as it resolves.
If you're confused or intimidated by Death's Journey later in the fight, just get out of melee range and park yourself equal distance between two of the many purple lines. There's no cross-over.
With all that, you should nab your clear of the Lunar Subterrane dungeon. For a few more choice FFXIV guides, here's how to get Island Durium Sand, how to get Divine Solvent, and what's coming with the Dawntrail expansion in 2024.