FFXIV: Eureka Orthos - Floor 30 Complete
Posted on November 20, 2023 by Aywren
Eureka Orthos is the Endwalker deep dungeon that was released back in patch 6.35. Like all deep dungeons, you can go in as a party or as a solo player, and you progress each floor until you wipe or succeed at beating the boss. The first 30 floors are considered “story mode,” while the rest of the floors, up to 100, get progressively more challenging.
I was very much onboard for Palace of the Dead, the first deep dungeon we got way back in the day. I tromped through that content sooo much with FC folks. I have so many glowy weapons from that dungeon. I even used to solo it in order to level jobs from time to time.
So, my time in deep dungeons – though I didn’t do much of Heaven on High – was one of enjoyment of the casual content it provided. However, Eureka Orthos, while the same in concept, is not what I’d particularly consider casual content.
I really, really wanted to progress through Orthos because the setting is THE Allagan labs under the Crystal Tower, wherein Amon and his peers once worked. Having an Amon character that I write and RP for, of course I wanted whatever experience and lore this place could provide.
While Syn and I did start out working through Orthos the day it was released, we found out quickly that duoing it was tough. This is due to (even in the early levels) several different types of normal mobs who just drop insta-kill mechanics on you. Some happen so fast that if you blink, you die. Some are a DPS race to kill the mob before your party wipes (think group-wide Final Sting).
This pushed us into doing it with randoms at the time, which took us to beating floor 20, where we stopped. With so many other things to grab attention in the game, it was easy to forget about Orthos and move on. That’s what happened until this past weekend, when we finally had a FC group of four who decided to tackle it together.
Looking around at the area outside of Orthos, I admit, I have never seen a doorway to a deep dungeon that was sadly so abandoned. Palace of the Dead used to be swarming with people! Even Heaven on High used to have at least a small group of players hovering around doing their thing at most times.
But Orthos? I think we saw maybe two or three players here or there. It was a sad sight for content this new.
I know for myself, it’s simply because dropping insta-kill mechanics that can wipe your whole run in the “story mode” area is just not fun. The rest of the dungeon was fun, though, especially romping with FC folks. Even the bosses, who have arena-wide mechanics (that I tend to not be good at), seemed forgiving – I never felt I was going to die while fighting the bosses, thanks to the party I was in.
But those random insta-kill mobs on the normal floors? That’s what almost wiped us – we had a very scary and heroic come-back on floor 28 due to them.
Should there be some challenge to a deep dungeon? Yeah, but not one that obliterates your run in seconds flat just because you haven’t learned which mobs can insta-wipe your party. And not in the first 10 floors – heck, I’d press not in the first 30 floors!
The up side – the Allagan backdrop really got ramped up in floors 20+. Before that, it was a rather dull dungeon-like location. So, I was most pleased to see the environment finally give me the Allagan feel, and the neat designs of the Allagan enemies you fought there.
I’d go back for the fun and exploration if I thought I wouldn’t get trashed trying to solo it. I wonder if others feel the same about this, considering how few people seem to be running it now.
…nevermind… yep… seems so. At least for the new or casual player. No wonder people turned away from it so quickly.
Anyhow… I’d also love to get a weapon from the dungeon, or maybe push to get the framer’s kit… but that would require nine more clears of level 30. Ouch.
I may have to suck it up and just learn to get gud?