Final Fantasy 14 is full of challenges that make the MMO worth playing, but if you want the toughest challenge of them all you’ll have to head into one of the game’s multiple dungeons for the fight of your life. Since the introduction of the Shadowbringers expansion there have been several new level 80 dungeons added to the game, so one of the hardest challenges in the entire MMO is the FFXIV The Twinning dungeon.
We’ll show you how to unlock The Twinning dungeon, where to find it, what you can expect in terms of monsters and other enemies, and ultimately how to beat The Twinning. We’ll even tell you what you need to defeat its three main bosses: Alpha Zaghnal, Mithridates, and The Tycoon. It’ll be one of the hardest encounters in Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers, so make sure you’re up to it.
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What is The Twinning?
The Twinning is a level 80 dungeon that was introduced to Final Fantasy 14 in the recent patch 5.0 as part of the Shadowbringers expansion, so it’s one of the newest dungeons in the game. It’s located in the region of Norvrandt, and is set in a place called The Crystal Tower. It is home to three bosses and a lot of enemies (and loot). Here’s what the game itself says about The Twinning:
“Since its sudden appearance in Norvrandt, the Crystal Tower has been a source of great mystery, one which the people of the Crystarium have barely begun to unravel. Now that the city is free from the threat of the Lightwardens, researchers have been afforded the opportunity to explore the innermost reaches of the tower, though they soon found their way barred by hordes of ferocious guardians. An aetherial disturbance detected from inside is believed to be in some way linked to their appearance, and you have been tasked with not only clearing a path for the researchers, but with investigating the cause of the anomaly.”
FFXIV The Twinning | How to unlock the level 80 dungeon
In order to unlock FFXIV The Twinning, much like the other level 80 dungeons introduced in the Shadowbringers expansion, you first have to have beaten the main story quest. Make sure you concentrate on finishing the Shadowbringers story before you attempt this or any of the other level 80 dungeons, such as Akadaemia Anyder. You’ll get the quest “By the Time You Hear This” afterwards.
After you’ve completed the story, head to The Crystarium, which can be found at coordinates X: 9.2, Y: 11.2. The area you’re looking for is just off the main plaza, very close to the Dousal Gate. You’re particularly looking for the NPC called Bethana to talk to. Keep talking to her and pushing the conversation, and eventually you’ll get the message “The Twinning now accessible”. Head to the point X: 12.8, Y:10.6 in The Crystarium and you’ll be allowed to enter the dungeon by using the Duty Finder. Be prepared.
What monsters are there in The Twinning?
There are a number of robot enemies before you even meet any of the dungeon’s three bosses. The Servomechanical Minotaur has an area-of-effect attack, for example. The three bosses are Alpha Zaghnal, Mithridates, and finally The Tycoon. Each boss has a tankbuster attack.
- Alpha Zaghnal has circular AoE attacks that it jumps between, marks each player with a number and then fires a line attack at each one, and a stack marker attack which spawns a persistently damaging fire puddle. It can also attack one of four containment units on two sides of the room and free a Beta Zaghnal, which will immediately attack the player that aggro’ed it.
- Mithridates has an attack where it places purple orbs on the arena which activate after a little while, causing area damage. It also has a line attack crosswise across the arena, and a circle AoE attack that centers on each player.
- The Tycoon is a giant stationary mech, or “artificial enigma” as the game poetically refers to it. Its Magitek Crossray attack fires four rectangular lasers which become line attacks travelling away from the boss, which cause high damage and Vulnerability Up. It also has a similar attack that goes from the opposite direction. Don’t hit the lasers when they’re stopped in time, or you’ll debuff your entire party. It also has black and red circle AoE attacks that charge first, and circular AoE attacks that center on each player.
How to beat FFXIV The Twinning
You’ll probably need four players to start, and we suggest at least one Tank, one Healer, and two DPS characters that are Disciples of War or Magic. Minimum level for all players has to be 80, of course. Once you head in, before the first boss you’ll find a few different trash mobs with area of effect attacks that you should try and interrupt. You can then jump from platform to platform and head down into the dungeon. Mop up the enemies or don’t worry about them.
You’ll soon encounter the first boss, Alpha Zaghnal. In particular with this boss, watch out for the containment pods to the left and the right of the arena. They contain Beta Zaghnals, and if they’re hit by any attack (either yours or the Alpha’s) they’ll attack the closest player and you’ll need to deal with them too. Eventually the boss will mark each player with a number, and will attack with a line attack. Your team needs to not only avoid these attacks, but position yourselves so they don’t hit the containment units. If you do free a Beta, deal with it as quickly as possible. Charge Eradicated is the most notable attack, as it’ll mark a player with a stacking charge up attack. The other player need to get close to share this damage, but watch out for the fire puddle.
Move through the tower past the rest of the simple enemies towards the next boss, Mithridates. Its primary tankbuster attack, Thunder Beam, will do heavy damage to its target, but you should cooldown and heal afterwards. If it spawns electrical purple orbs around the battlefield, simply keep away from them. The Laserblade attack will put a lot of lines on the arena with very small safe areas, so make sure you’re in one of them. Allagan Thunder will target all players with an unavoidable area attack, but make sure you stay away from the rest of your team to avoid doubling up on damage. Eventually the boss will start throwing all of them at you at once, so watch out.
Try and avoid taking too much damage on the the final mobs before the last boss, The Tycoon. Rail Cannon is the tankbuster attack, so as usual cooldown and heal. Magitek Crossray will send out lasers in four directions that get frozen in time in a rectangular box for a long period, so stay away from both the boxes and the direction of the lasers. Defensive Array is much the same, except from the edge of the arena inward, so be careful to avoid overlapping with other players. Artificial Gravity creates large red circles that expand greatly, so carefully avoid them. Magicrystal is similar to Mithridates’ Allagan Thunder attack, in that it targets players with unavoidable AoE attacks, so again: try not to overlap them and cause extra damage to yourselves. High Tension Discharger is a huge AoE blast attack that will hit all players, so once you see the boss charge it up make sure your healers are ready.
Watch out for these attacks overlapping, keep your cool, and always have healers and healing items on standby. You’ll finish the boss in no time.
