Patch 2.0

Patch 2.0

"A Realm Reborn"

Expansion

A Realm Reborn

Release Date

2.0 - 27 August 2013

Promo Page

Link

Patch Notes

None

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Introduction

A Realm Reborn is a complete reboot of Final Fantasy XIV, created to replace the failed original 1.x version of the game which was taken offline on November 11, 2012.

Notable Features, Additions, and Changes

System Changes and Additions

• Total redesign and rebuild of the game from scratch, with a new engine
• PlayStation 3 support added (The original 1.x was PC only)

New Content

• Main Story: Seventh Umbral Era Quests (Level 1-50) (195 to 198 quests, later reduced to 163 to 164 in patch 5.3)
• Fully redesigned world of Eorzea, including The Black Shroud, Thanalan, La Noscea, Mor Dhona, and Coerthas Central Highlands
• Combat Classes: Gladiator, Marauder, Lancer, Pugilist, Archer, Thaumaturge, Arcanist^[1], Conjurer
• Jobs: Paladin, Warrior, Dragoon, Monk, Bard, Black Mage, Summoner^[1], White Mage, Scholar^[1]
• Gathering and Crafting Classes: Miner, Botanist, Fisher, Carpenter, Blacksmith, Armorer^[1], Goldsmith, Leatherworker, Weaver, Alchemist, Culinarian
•  Dungeons: Sastasha, The Tam-Tara Deepcroft, Copperbell Mines, Halatali, The Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak, Haukke Manor, Brayflox's Longstop, The Sunken Temple of Qarn, Cutter's Cry, The Stone Vigil, Dzemael Darkhold, The Aurum Vale, Castrum Meridianum, The Praetorium, The Wanderer's Palace, Amdapor Keep
•  Trials: The Bowl of Embers, The Navel, The Howling Eye, Cape Westwind, The Bowl of Embers (Hard), The Navel (Hard), The Howling Eye (Hard)
•  Raids: The Binding Coil of Bahamut
•  Guildhests
• Full Active Time Events

Notes

^[1] Only these classes and jobs are new for 2.0

System Changes and Additions

• Guildleves overhauled.
•   Dyeing no longer affects a piece of equipment's attributes.
•   Teleport no longer requires anima (a rechargeable resource) as currency, but instead a Gil fee is charged.
• New gender options for existing races: female Highlanders, male Miqo'te, and female Roegadyn.
• 
  Market Boards added.
  • Retainer functionality adjusted to accommodate.

Miscellaneous

• New Allagan Tomestone currency: Allagan Tomestones of Philosophy and Allagan Tomestones of Mythology

Main Story Summary (Spoilers)

Five years after the Seventh Umbral Calamity, the Warrior of Light experiences a vision where he is floating in the aether, and hears a voice calling out: "Hear... feel... think..." as a masked, dark robed figure appears before him. The Warrior conjures up a weapon of light, based on his starting class, and strikes the dark figure down.

Chapter 1 (Starting in Gridania)

The Warrior of Light wakes up on a carriage in the Black Shroud traveling to Gridania, accompanied by Alphinaud, Alisaie, and Bremondt, a traveling merchant. The Warrior of Light encounters some moogles, who ask him if he's seen anything suspicious. Later, the carriage is caught up in a skirmish between Gridanian forces and Ixal beastmen, but manages to escape unscathed. The carriage then continues on and reaches Gridania, where the Warrior of Light registers with the Adventurer's Guild in Carline Canopy, performs odd jobs for the people of Gridania, and learns the ways of his selected class.

Chapter 1 (Starting in Ul'dah)

The Warrior of Light wakes up on a carriage in Thanalan traveling to Ul'dah, accompanied by Alphinaud, Alisaie, and Brendt, a traveling merchant. The carriage is stopped for inspection by corrupt Brass Blades, who "find" contraband herbs, but are ambushed by Amalj'aa beastmen. The carriage escapes and continues on to reach Ul'dah, where the Warrior of Light registers with the Adventurer's Guild in the Quicksand, performs odd jobs for the people of Ul'dah, and learns the ways of his selected class.

Chapter 1 (Starting in Limsa Lominsa)

The Warrior of Light wakes up on a ship off the coast of La Noscea traveling to Limsa Lominsa, accompanied by Alphinaud, Alisaie, and Brennan, a traveling merchant. The ship is later attacked by pirates, but is able to outrun them. The ship then continues on and reaches Limsa Lominsa, where the Warrior of Light registers with the Adventurer's Guild in the Drowning Wench, performs odd jobs for the people of Limsa Lominsa, and learns the ways of his selected class.

The hero is hired by Summerford Farms to investigate alleged kidnappings, and pursues a lead to Seasong Grotto. There he encounters a Miqo'te woman wearing a strange device, but they are ambushed by an enraged goobue. Afterward the hero discovers a blue crystal, and upon picking it up, collapses and witnesses another aethereal vision with a star shower, a giant towering crystal and the same voice "Hear... feel... think...". The voice calls out to the crystal-bearer identifies herself as Hydaelyn, issues a prophecy of light fading and darkness taking its place, presaging an end to life, and beseeches the hero to prevent this fate, and tasks him with gathering the Crystals of Light. The hero wakes up, as the Miqo'te woman has discovered a seafarer's knife in the goobue's back, and is convinced the kidnappings are the work of pirates. The hero returns to Summerford farms to present his findings, where the taskmaster identifies the Miqo'te woman as Y'shtola, and assures the hero that she is unconnected to the kidnappings.

The hero performs odd jobs around the farm, and has to deal with a particular scoundrel named Sevrin who has been causing trouble. The hero is tasked with hunting Sevrin down, and finds him being beaten by two men whom he betrayed. The hero moves to confront them, but is interrupted by a masked, black-robed man who summons a golem to attack. The hero defeats the golem, and witnesses another vision. After returning to the farm, Sevrin explains that he was a member of the Serpent Reavers - servents of the Sahagin - and deserted them. He had planned to hand over his crewmates to save himself, and couldn't go through with it. He headed off to confess and turn himself in to the Yellowjackets - Limsa Lominsa's law enforcement. The hero returns to the Drowning Wench in Limsa Lominsa and asks Baderon the proprietor to put in a good word for Sevrin.

The hero performs miscellaneous tasks, and is eventually tasked with guarding the under-construction Victory - Limsa Lominsa's first ship built since the Calamity - from sabotage. Not long after, a band of pirates attacks and attempts to destroy the ship. The hero fights them off and strikes down their leader, who turns out to be the foreman's estranged father. On his body, a missive in an unknown language is discovered, and the hero takes it back to the Drowning Wench to have it interpreted. It is found to be written in the Sahagin language, and it mentions a diversionary attack on Swiftperch, but Baderon has the intuition to realize that the attack on the Victory wasn't the primary objective - Swiftperch is the true target!

The hero delivers the message to Commodore Reyner who considers how to respond, when s Yellowjacket bursts in and reports that the Sahagin are attacking South Tidegate. Lacking the resources to defend both location, Commodore Reyner dispatches the troops to South Tidegate while sending the hero to protect Swiftperch. The hero rushes to Swiftperch with all haste, and sure enough a band of Serpent Reavers attacks. The defenders are able to defeat the attackers, but their leader summons a voidsent, whom the defenders also defeat. As the defenders cheer their victory, the same masked, black-robed mage who summoned the golem confronts the hero and summons a more powerful voidsent, deeming the hero too dangerous to be allowed to live. The hero is joined by Y'shtola, and together they prevail over the masked mage and his voidsent. As the masked man expires, Y'shtola says the hero was blessed with a special gift, and identifies the masked mage as an Ascian, a Bringer of Chaos. It is they who have been manipulating the beast tribes. Thus the case of the kidnappings is brought to a close. In the words of Ryssfloh, "Those Reavers were the ones spiriting folk away in the dead of night, and this bastard here [the Ascian] was pulling all the strings." The hero reports back to Commodore Reyner, but not before noticing a dark crystal, which shatters before his eyes.

Back in Limsa Lominsa, the hero is welcomed by Admiral Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn, who recognizes his deeds and invites him to a celebratory banquet - a great honor. During the banquet Admiral Merlwyb gives her summation of recent events: The tattooed pirates call themselves Serpent Reavers, and have pledges themselves to the Sahagins' god Leviathan, and sought to kidnap civilians to grow their numbers. At that moment, the hero's crystal glows, and he shows it to Y'shtola, who identifies it as one of the Crystals of Light. The hero recalls his vision of the towering crystal after defeating the goobue, and Y'shtola and Admiral Merlwyb come to the conclusion that the hero is vessel of a higher power, and identify the towering crystal as the Mothercrystal. Admiral Merlwyb then tells the story of the Warriors of Light, heroes not of this land, who fought to protect it from the corruption of the primals, and from the Garlean Empire. They fought and disappeared at the Battle of Carteneau. They were remembered as great heroes, but nobody can remember their names or faces, which is why they are simply remembered as the Warriors of Light. Merlwyb believes the hero was chosen by Hydaelyn for a special reason, and admonishes him to keep his crystal safe.

At that moment, the hero collapses and witness a vision of the final moments of the Battle of Carteneau. The hero comes to, waking up in the Drowning Wench, and is summoned to Admiral Merlwyb's office. Merlwyb names the hero her envoy, grants him authorization to travel by airship, and assigns him the task of delivering missives to the leaders of Ul'dah and Gridania, to hold a memorial for the five-year anniversary of the Battle of Carteneau and the Seventh Umbral Calamity. They agree, as the Garlean Empire is a grave threat to Eorzea. The XIVth Legion, led by Gaius van Baelsar, is deeply entranched in Eorzea, and seeks to resume its campaign of conquest. The hero returns to the Drowning Wench to receive his next assignment...

Lore

Every end marks a new beginning. So it was that Eorzea, in the five years following the Seventh Umbral Calamity, rose from the ashes to rebuild-as did their would-be imperial conquerors.

Tales from the Calamity

There was much work to be done in the days following the events at Carteneau. Countless Eorzeans had been robbed of their homes and livelihoods, for Bahamut had managed to wreak untold destruction before he was defeated. In Ul'dah rioters had taken to the streets, driven by madness and fear. It was only by the impassioned words of the Sultana Nanamo Ul Namo and the brave actions of her seven defenders that order was restored, and formal efforts to administer aid and succor to the people could begin. In Limsa Lominsa, Admiral Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn, who had lain in a state of torpor after suffering injuries during the Battle of Carteneau, awoke and set about establishing the Maelstrom's temporary command at the Moraby Drydocks, which had been sheltered from the worst of the great wave which had lain waste to Vylbrand's coast. And in Gridania, Kan-E-Senna's younger siblings Raya-O and A-Ruhn oversaw the recovery efforts while the Elder Seedseer remained in Carteneau for a time, seeking out what few survivors remained and saving those who could yet be saved.

Meanwhile, having watched the battle unfold from the deck of an imperial airship, Legatus Gaius van Baelsar, commander of the XIVth Legion, saw an opportunity. Upon withdrawing to Ala Mhigo with the remainder of his fleet, he sent troops to Mor Dhona’s Castrum Novum, with orders to execute the remnants of van Darnus’s VIIth Legion and secure the fortress for the XIVth. From there they dispatched cohorts to La Noscea, Thanalan, the Black Shroud, and Coerthas, and upon the lands they claimed were built many new castra.

Although the Eorzean Alliance was not blind to the Empire’s aggression, they had not the strength to oppose them. When the 5th Cohort encroached upon Ul'dahn interests in northern Thanalan, it was all General Raubahn and the Immortal Flames could do to hold the line. Once the two sides had retreated behind their fortifications, the Ul'dahns could only look on helplessly as the Garleans commenced the construction of Castrum Meridianum—a dagger pointed at the very heart of Eorzea.

A New Dawn

Six months after the fall of Dalamud, in a quiet corner of Ul'dah, the surviving members of the Circle of Knowing and the Path of the Twelve came together to discuss their shared future.

The Path of the Twelve, formed in 1570, had ostensibly been an obscure religious sect devoted to the pursuit of spiritual knowledge. In truth, however, it had been a haven for "walkers of the path"-men and women blessed with the Echo, a power whose potential they were only beginning to understand, and its charismatic Antecedent, the Lady Minfilia, was herself among the strongest in this gift.

Minfilia had awoken to her power at the age of seventeen, when she somehow found herself walking in the memories of another. Troubled and terrified by the experience, she confided in Thancred, an old friend and secret member of the Circle of Knowing-though this she did not know at the time. Recognizing the signs, Thancred introduced Minfilia to Louisoix Leveilleur, his master and mentor, who shared with her his knowledge of the Echo-a power said to have been bestowed upon individuals on the cusp of an Umbral Calamity-that they might stand against the coming darkness. The Echo, he claimed, was more than the stuff of legends, and the selfsame power Minfilia possessed. Though wary at first, she and the Archon became close friends, and it was with his enthusiastic encouragement that she would found the Path of the Twelve, and the two organizations would support each other in various endeavors over the coming years.

On the eve of the Battle of Carteneau, Louisoix had come to her organization’s headquarters, the Waking Sands, to reveal to her his plans to forestall Eorzea’s destruction. The Archon would summon the Twelve using forbidden arts known only to him, and with their combined strength, prevent the fall of the lesser moon. Such strength, however, posed a threat in itself, for should Eorzea’s patron deities assume physical form, it seemed more than likely that they would be prone to the same appetites as the gods of the beastmen. Should that prove the case, their mere presence would bleed the land of life. And so Louisoix would instead call upon a fraction of the Twelve’s power—enough to stay Dalamud’s descent, and no more. Alas, to ensure all would come to pass as intended, he would need to take his own life in the midst of the ritual.

However, Louisoix had come for another purpose than to discuss his impending death. He had seen in the Antecedent great potential, and during that meeting he told her the role he would have her play in the days to come. So it was that, six months after that fateful day, in accordance with Louisoix Leveilleur's wishes, the Circle of Knowing and the Path of the Twelve were merged to form the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, under the leadership of Minfilia.

A New Hero

For many, the facts surrounding the Calamity remain a mystery to this day, as the memories of Bahamut’s rampage and miraculous defeat remain muddled and indistinct. A band of valiant adventurers is known to have been instrumental to this victory, yet despite all efforts, none can remember their names nor their faces. To try merely brings to mind silhouettes amidst a blinding glare, a shared image which has resulted in these forgotten heroes being dubbed, “The Warriors of Light.”

Though it was widely believed that these heroes all perished in the fires of Carteneau, five years later, rumors of a survivor began to spread throughout Eorzea. This singular man (or woman, by some accounts) traveled far and wide, taking part in conflicts great and small, often standing for the weak and downtrodden. Eventually he came to the attention of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, not only for his magnanimous deeds, but for his manifestation of the Echo, that great power to walk in the memories of others. Accordingly, Minfilia saw fit to extend this adventurer a formal invitation, that he might join in their ongoing fight against the primal menace.

The Lord of the Infero

The adventurer was first tasked with investigating a series of kidnappings in Thanalan, which were eventually revealed to be the work of an Ul'dahn merchant in league with the Amalj’aa. In a bid to learn the whereabouts of the abductees, the Immortal Flames devised a plan to seize the Amalj’aa responsible using the merchant as bait. Alas, a traitor in their ranks revealed all, resulting in the capture of the adventurer and his comrades, who were subsequently presented by the beastmen to their god, Ifrit, as offerings to be made his thralls.

However, by the power of the Echo, that holy gift bestowed by Mother Hydaelyn Herself, the adventurer proved immune to Ifrit’s tempering, much to the primal’s chagrin. Flying into a rage, Ifrit attempted to slaughter the adventurer outright, only to find himself outmatched. Thus did the Lord of the Inferno fall.

The Paragons of the Darkness

With the adventurer’s victory over the beastman god, the Immortal Flames’ Bloodsworn were free to secure the captives and return them safely to Ul'dah. Word quickly spread of the valiant hero—the eikon-slayer—spurring others to seek to enlist his aid and that of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn.

At the behest of the Order of the Twin Adder, the adventurer was dispatched to treat with the sylphs of Little Solace, whom they feared might summon Ramuh, the Lord of Levin. After undertaking many tasks to earn the trust of the diminutive beings, he discovered that, while the primal had indeed been summoned in the past, he was a guardian by nature, and Gridania need not fear sylphic aggression. However, a new threat soon revealed itself to the adventurer: Lahabrea of the Ascians, one of many mysterious masked beings said to have sown chaos and discord since time immemorial. Although the Ascians' designs were anything but clear, the Scions knew better than to leave them to their own devices. The adventurer and his allies set about investigating the masked man, tracking him to Little Ala Mhigo, where he had convinced a group of desperate youths to attempt to summon Rhalgr, the Destroyer. From there the adventurer followed his trail to Haukke Manor, where he was confronted by two more Ascians, who sought to measure the hero’s strength for their master. These deeply troubling events served to confirm that the Ascians had bequeathed the knowledge of summoning to various peoples to further their own dark ends.

The Lord of Crags

The Scions were soon forced to turn their attention to Vylbrand, where the kobolds were said to have once more summoned their patron god, Titan, to defend their land from Limsa Lominsa’s aggressive expansion. This was not the first time the Lord of Crags had been called forth from the aether, though, for twelve years earlier, in 1565, the famed Company of Heroes had been employed to rid the land of the primal menace. They succeeded, but at great cost, and in the wake of the Calamity, the mercenary group chose to disband. Bereft of other options, the Maelstrom turned to the Scions of the Seventh Dawn for aid.

Y’shtola and the adventurer’s first course of action was to seek out the erstwhile members of the Company of Heroes, believing them to be possessed of invaluable tactical knowledge. After many trials and tribulations—the purpose of which was not entirely clear at the time—this supposition was proven true, and the Scions learned of an aetheryte which could be used to deliver forces directly into Titan’s sanctuary. And so, in a moment that shall forever be enshrined in the annals of Eorzean history, the adventurer slew the Lord of Crags and spared Limsa Lominsa his terrible vengeance. Alas, this triumph would be tempered by a terrible tragedy.

Upon returning to the Waking Sands, the adventurer was greeted by a sight to make his blood run cold: the bodies of beloved allies—victims of a desperate struggle. Among them was Noraxia, a sylphic ally, and through her memories the adventurer learned that the carnage was the result of an imperial raid led by Livia sas Junius, a tribunus who served under Gaius van Baelsar. Having come for the eikon-slayer, they left instead with Minfilia and other senior Scions, but not before slaughtering countless others with impunity.

Friends Lost and Found

With her dying breath, Noraxia implored the adventurer to seek shelter at the Church of Saint Adama Landama. Heeding her counsel, he sought out Father Iliud, who welcomed him with open arms. Here the adventurer was reunited with the engineer Cid nan Garlond, who had lost all memory of his past, but retained the advanced engineering skills from his former life. However, this brief respite came to an end when, one day, Alphinaud Leveilleur cast open the doors of the church.

The young grandson of Archon Louisoix had crossed paths with the adventurer several times before, including at the remembrance services held to commemorate the Battle of Carteneau. A Sharlayan nobleman and graduate of the Studium, the youth of sixteen summers and his twin sister Alisaie had come to Eorzea against the wishes of his father, that they might join with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn and carry on their grandfather’s legacy to safeguard the realm. Having learned of a new primal threat following the attack on the Waking Sands, he had resolved to enlist the help of the surviving adventurer—and that of the famed Cid nan Garlond. The Garlean engineer had fled the Empire fifteen years ago and come to Eorzea, where he founded the Garlond Ironworks, a company dedicated to the development and production of advanced magitek. He had shared his knowledge of Garlean technology with the people of Eorzea and served as a trusted advisor to the Alliance—and even gone so far as to take part in military operations, such as when he delivered a group of adventurers to Rivenroad to confront Nael van Darnus.

Cid had vanished in the Calamity and was presumed by many to have died, but in truth the engineer had survived. Robbed of his memories by the tragic events of that day, he had wandered aimlessly until coming to the Church of Saint Adama Landama, where he was taken into the care of Father Iliud and given the name Marques.

Though he was somewhat confused by Alphinaud’s claims, Cid sensed that the boy spoke the truth, and decided to assist him and the adventurer, in the hopes that it might help him to recover his memory.

To combat Garlemald’s imperial ambitions, Cid nan Garlond shared many secrets of magitek technology with the Eorzean Alliance, including the ceruleum engine.

The Search for the Enterprise

Alphinaud revealed that the Ixal of Gridania had summoned Garuda, a fearsome and bloodthirsty primal. Yet therein lied an opportunity, or so the youth believed, for if they somehow managed to defeat Garuda, it would serve as a warning to other beast tribes that even their mightiest gods could be felled. If they were to face their foe, however, they would need to circumvent the tempest which shielded her sanctuary—a feat only capable with the Enterprise, Cid’s missing airship. The search for the Enterprise led the trio to the Ishgardian territory of central Coerthas, a land as cold and unwelcoming as its people. However, with the aid of an eccentric knight of House Fortemps and a young nobleman of House Haillenarte, the party learned that the airship could be found in the Stone Vigil, an Ishgardian fortress which had been overrun by their Dravanian enemies years ago. Having no choice, they fought their way deep into the fallen fortress, until at last they came upon the Enterprise, and with it made their escape back to Gridania.

Originally designed to serve as a line of defense against Horde incursions into western Coerthas, the Stone Vigil was repurposed before its fall to the Dravanians to house Ishgard's small, yet formidable fleet of aerial warships.

The Lady of the Vortex

Years of neglect had taken its toll on the Enterprise, and in its condition the airship could not possibly withstand the tumultuous winds which encircled the Howling Eye, Garuda’s sanctuary. To safely breach the barrier, Cid devised a plan to harness the power of a corrupted crystal, that they might alter the elemental aspect of the aether comprising the primal’s defenses. Working closely with the esteemed Professor Lamberteint and his dedicated pupils, the adventurer obtained a corrupted crystal to power Cid’s newly fashioned elemental converter, and at long last the trio embarked upon their journey to confront Garuda. Stirred by the familiar roar of the Enterprise’s engines, Cid endeavored to recall his past, but it was only with the aid of the adventurer’s Echo that he at last came to remember his name, his people, and his purpose.

Amidst the whirling winds, the adventurer succeeded in striking down the Lady of the Vortex, only to see her rise once more, reinvigorated by the belief of her Ixali disciples. It was at this moment that Gaius van Baelsar then entered the fray, seemingly bent on goading the defeated primal into one final act of defiance. Garuda duly obliged, slaughtering her captive kobolds and Amalj’aa, whose cries of agony served to summon their own patron deities. As Garuda prepared to consume the aether of her lesser brethren, the Black Wolf called forth the Ultima Weapon, an Allagan relic found buried deep beneath Gyr Abania and restored by Garlean magitek, which summarily dispatched and seemingly absorbed all three primals. Wholly unprepared to face this awe-inspiring new foe, the adventurer and his allies had no choice but to flee for their lives.

Reclaiming the Dawn's Light

Alphinaud, Cid, and the adventurer sought refuge within the echoing halls of the Waking Sands, and there were reunited with the Scions Yda and Y’shtola. The pair had spent the days since the raid on their headquarters attempting to locate their missing comrades, and their inquiries had at last borne fruit. Minfilia and the other high-ranking Scions were being held prisoner in Castrum Centri, an imperial stronghold in Mor Dhona. Recognizing that it would be no small task to free them, the adventurer and his comrades set about gathering more intelligence, and in the process were reunited with Biggs and Wedge, two Garlond Ironworks engineers who had been captured along with the other Scions, but had managed to escape during transport.

After regrouping in Mor Dhona’s Revenant’s Toll, the engineers and the Scions hatched a plan to infiltrate Castrum Centri by impersonating Garlean soldiers. With the assistance of local adventurers, they obtained imperial uniforms and a magitek reaper, and with them managed to enter the castrum undetected and free Minfilia, Papalymo, Urianger, and Tataru. Reunited, the Scions narrowly escaped the wrath of Livia sas Junius by leaping aboard the Enterprise, but as they flew to safety, they spied Gaius van Baelsar standing beside the Ultima Weapon and the Ascian Lahabrea—who to the Scions’ dismay threw back his hood to reveal the face of Thancred, their friend and ally, whom the Ascian had been controlling for some time.

Operation Archon

Surrender to the empire or share the fate of the false gods he had pledged to exterminate. Such was the ultimatum Gaius van Baelsar had issued to the Alliance leaders, spurring them to convene an emergency meeting in Ul'dah. Though they balked at the legatus’s terms, they believed they had no choice, for the Scions of the Seventh Dawn were gone—or so they had believed until Minfilia and the others strode into the Fragrant Chamber. In urgent tones, she and Alphinaud implored them not to surrender, to place their faith once more in the Scions and stand together against van Baelsar and his Ultima Weapon. Owing to this timely intervention, Eorzea’s leaders resolved to fight the Empire to the last, and at once turned their attentions to the matter of how best to coordinate their military might. So it was that Operation Archon was conceived—the largest single counteroffensive in the realm’s troubled history, in which the Alliance would strike at every imperial stronghold standing upon Eorzean soil.

The first phase of Operation Archon saw the Alliance eliminate one of the Black Wolf’s most trusted lieutenants—Rhitahtyn sas Arvina. Acting on intelligence that he would be visiting Cape Westwind for a routine inspection, the Immortal Flames launched an assault on the imperial outpost. The adventurer then led a small unit into the innermost sector, and at the end of a fierce struggle, dealt the praefectus his death-blow.

With Rhitahtyn’s demise, the forces garrisoned at Castrum Occidens were thrown into disarray, allowing the Alliance to commence the second phase of Operation Archon. The Maelstrom laid siege to the leaderless stronghold, and Admiral Merlwyb herself led the Crimson Fleet to blockade Castrum Marinum. Meanwhile, in the Twelveswood, the Order of the Twin Adder and a contingent of sylphs surrounded Castrum Oriens, thus completely severing Castrum Meridianum’s primary lines of supply.

For the third phase of Operation Archon, the Order of the Twin Adder blockaded the railway connecting Centri and Meridianum, preventing the timely arrival of reinforcements from Mor Dhona. The Immortal Flames then marched against the stronghold with all their strength—though in truth this was but a feint.

The Assault on Castrum Meridianum

Through a carefully coordinated series of attacks, the Eorzean Alliance had succeeded in isolating Castrum Meridianum. However, they could not lay siege to the fortress indefinitely, for imperial reinforcements would surely come from far and wide to its defense. In particular, the Garlean forces stationed in Ala Mhigo could easily be dispatched to Castrum Meridianum by airship, rendering the Alliance’s efforts for naught. Therefore, they would need to strike while the iron was hot.

While the garrison’s eyes were drawn outwards by General Raubahn’s assault, the selfsame adventurer who slew Rhitahtyn sas Arvina once more took charge of an elite adventurer unit. They stole past the defenses of Castrum Meridianum and attempted to deactivate the magitek field which protected the Praetorium, the fortress within a fortress wherein the Ultima Weapon was housed.

Yet again the adventurer and his allies emerged triumphant, successfully disabling the magitek field generator, as well as defeating Livia sas Junius into the bargain—the tribunus who had led the brutal raid on the Waking Sands.

At last, the path to the Praetorium was open, and so it was that Cid nan Garlond delivered the adventurer and his comrades to the stage of the final confrontation with Gaius van Baelsar and the Ultima Weapon.

The Ultima Weapon

A relic of the Third Astral Era, the Ultima Weapon was a feat of Allagan technology—the same technology which saw the reach of the Allagan Empire extend to the four corners of Hydaelyn. After being employed to great effect on the southern continent of Meracydia, the mechanical juggernaut had been buried, and lain undisturbed for five thousand years. Upon its rediscovery, the XIVth Legion of the Imperial Garlean Army had refitted it to serve as a countermeasure against the ever-growing primal threat.

However, it later came to light in a report delivered to the Eorzean Alliance by the Scions of the Seventh Dawn that, despite the fact they had managed to awaken the monstrosity—by harnessing the power of the Heart of Sabik, an ancient relic infused with vast quantities of aether. There, within the Praetorium, the Ascian Lahabrea revealed his true intent to enemy and ally both: to harness the life force of the primals and quicken this core, that he might unleash Ultima, a spell of unimaginable destructive power contained therein.

In an instant, the Praetorium was naught more than a smoking, crater. Yet by the grace of Mother Hydaelyn’s blessing, the adventurer was spared death, and as the fires raged all about, he laid low both Gaius van Baelsar and his Ultima Weapon. Thus did the conquest of the Black Wolf end in smoke and ashes. The destruction wrought by Ultima was, according to eyewitness accounts, akin to a volcanic eruption. To this day, the precise nature and origins of the Heart of Sabik, the mysterious artifact Lahabrea used to invoke the ancient magick, remain unknown.

The Dawning of the Seventh Astral Era

With the destruction of the Ultima Weapon, Operation Archon was proclaimed a resounding success. Their hearts swelling with pride and relief, the weary allies came together in the shadow of the Keeper of the Lake and there declared, to all and sundry, a definitive end—not only to their desperate struggle against van Baelsar’s XIVth Legion, but to the petty squabbles which had divided their nations for far too long.

They were under no illusions. The realm was yet beset by countless problems, and the scars left by the Calamity would linger for generations to come. Nevertheless, they believed that their triumph at Castrum Meridianum marked a turning point, the first steps towards a united Eorzea, which could stand against the might of Garlemald.

And so Chief Admiral Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn, Flame General Raubahn Aldynn, and Elder Seedseer Kan-E-Senna raised their voices as one and proclaimed that, on that day, by the light of the Crystal, the Seventh Astral Era had come, and the realm was at last truly reborn.