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Despite the main event ofFinal Fantasy XVI’slatest DLC,The Rising Tide, five more side quests are unlocked. This one, “Lost in the Woods”, however, has you take down two bosses, as well as learn more about Mysidia and Waljas.
How to Start “Lost in the Woods”
To enact the quest, you must complete the main story of The Rising Tide. Furthermore, you’ll also have to have completed"Roles of Honor", as a returning character appears. You’ll find your questgiver, young Ayrik, behind The Foundry.
Final Fantasy XVI The Rising Tide: Roles of Honor Walkthrough
Qatar’s friend and co-worker, Nasif, has gone missing. Let’s go find him and save the glamour and cairns.
Speak to Ayrik and he’ll be a bit of a wreck. He tells Clive that he followed us to the Aire of Hours, but got lost and was chased off by some water creature. He fears it might attack the village, so, to ease Ayrik’s fear, Clive agrees to find and slay the monster before it can do so.
Go to Swiftrun River (Riversmeet)
Ayrik said that he noticed the monster near the Swiftrun River, so fast travel to the Riversmeet Oblilisk. You’ll be put right next to the quest location, so go straight. You’ll then find a familiar face in a tough situation. It’s the Hunter from"Roles of Honor"! However, he’s been hurt pretty bad. He says that he was hunting an ibex when he heard a loud noise and got shot in the back with water. Clive asks where the beast is and, wouldn’t you know, it’s right behind us.
Enemy: x1 Archelon
Like many enemies,the Archelon is one you’ve probably faced off with in the base game. Despite that, it doesn’t negate the fact that the large turtle is anything but difficult. Its hard shell and fast spin-attacks can make damaging it a pain in it of itself. Still,attempt to aim solely at it’s head,as it won’t get damaged if you hit it’s back.If it’s head is not shown, it’s charging for a spin-attack.
Make sure to watch your timing and keep dodging, as getting hit will hurt Clive plenty.It’s also got some water-based attacks, so dodge thoseand keep an eye out for others. Abilities likeHeaven’s CloudorRaging Fistscan get some concentrated damage on the head, buttry to maintain distance as well by using spells or long-distance abilities like Deluge orFlare Breath.
As always,attempt to stagger Archelon, as doing so will allow you to inflict tons of damage on them without worrying about getting hurt yourself.Unleash some strong abilities like Tsunami orZantetsukento bring them down in HP. Keep it up and the Archelon will be slayed. As a reward for slaying Archelon,you’ll get 600XP, 80 Ability Points, 300 Gil, x12 Wyrrite, and x1 Meteorite.
Travel to The Sunken Ruins
Unfortunately for Clive and the gang,the quest isn’t over. In fact, we didn’t even take out the monster. No, as the Hunter explains, the Archelon was not the one that shoot at him or Ayrik, as it would’ve been too obvious. He’ll direct you towardsThe Sunked Ruins, where the beast may be. You’re not too far from it from where you are, sogo north and follow the path until you find some abandoned ruins. There’ll be some dead Pincher Crabs for you to examine, butthe main objective lies beyond them near the edge. Once there, out will spawn the watery fiend itself:Thalaos.
Enemy: Thalaos
Now, I won’t lie. This battle is a bit difficult depending on your level. During my playthrough, I was at Level 51 and it took some time to beat them, as they were Level 53.Thalaos is a tough opponent that requires the upmost attention while on the battlefield. For the battle,I had Leviathan for dodging, Garuda for extended stagger, and Odin forArm of Darkness, but you can make the case for Titan, Shiva, or Ramuh.
Right off the bat, Thalaos will useWater Wall, whichsummons tides of water and pushes them at the player.If you can find an opening, go behind Thalaosand you’ll be safe from them and give you some space to attack. After that,it’ll switch between charge attacks and water attacks. It’s vital toanalyze its attack pattern, as it’ll help when avoiding certain attacks and keeping distance.
After staggering them once, Thalaos will go a bit crazy with the abilities.Water Wall will have less gapsand it’ll useSeastorm, whichspawns a whirlpool and beam-shooting orbs. When Seastorm is in motion,do not engage in combat, as the orbs will target you and damage you. Instead,dodge and attempt to do precision dodgeif possible to get some hits at them. Furthermore,stay away from the whirlpool surrounding Thalaos, as getting sucked in will leave you open to attacks.This extends to the Whirlpool ability, which you need to jump over and dodge out of the ring. When Seastorm ends, it goes out witha big burst of waterthat’ll damage everything in its radius. Ensure your safety bystepping out of the AOEand then go in for some good hits once the waterworks are finished.
Like before,keep track of what Thalaos is doing and time your attacks right.Focus on staggering them, as it’ll leave them open for unleashing heavy attacks. It’ll take some time, but Thalaos will fall by your sword (or abilities) and you’ll reap the rewards:15000XP, 250 Ability Points, 20000 Gil, and x2 Aqueous Membrane.
Return to Ayrik and the Hunter in Haven + Rewards
Once you’ve beaten the watery fiend, it’s time to report back to Haven.Use the Quick Complete to fast travelto where Ayrik and the Hunter are located in the town. Ayrik will be getting some talking to from the Hunter about Ayrik sneaking out. When approached and interacted with, the two will thank you for taking care of the creature. However, they’ll bring up the fact that the Thalaos was located at the same location as Waljas' mother when she threw herself off the cliff. It may have been that the creature was looking for the mother and was defending the spot, much like theTimekeeper did in the Aire of Hours. Whatever the case may have been, the town is safe and the citizens can rest easy for the time being. As a reward for completing the mission,you’ll receive 9600XP and x1 Orichalcum, which is a super rare crafting material that can craft somegreat weapons and gear.
Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide isavailable nowfor purchase on PlayStation 5 separately or included, along withEchoes of the Fallen, in theExpansion Pass.
Review: Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide
Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide, while playing it safe, delivers a fulfilling, fluid and fun sendoff for one of 2023’s best games.
Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide
In the final DLC for Final Fantasy XVI, Clive receives an unmarked letter containing a request to rescue the Dominant of Leviathan the Lost. He and his companions travel to the hidden land of Mysidia, led by warrior Shula, to uncover the tragic history of a forgotten people and save the Dominant before it’s too late.
