This is it. The closing moments of the FFXIV: Shadowbringers main storyline. Emet-Selch has deemed you unworthy for his cause (no surprise there) and now wants nothing more than to remove you from the equation. If past battles like Titania and Crown of the Immaculate left you shook, prepare for the battle ahead with this FFXIV: Shadowbringers The Dying Gasp guide.
Phase One
Ravenous Assault is your tankbuster. This deals a tonne of damage, so tanks and healers should watch closely for it.
Bad Faith is then introduced. Watch for which side has spikes pointing in your direction and get to the other side. Hades then casts Double, meaning the Dark Eruption he follows up with hits not just the targeted players, but the areas underneath them when cast, too. Spread out and close in for heals.
Broken Faith then attempts to fake you out again – three times, in fact. The markers on the floor are smaller than what falls down, which then explode around an even bigger area. Watch carefully to find a safe spot and move as they fall. Going in and out in a zig-zag pattern might help. He then casts Double before Shadow Spread, followed by another Ravenous Assault. Avoid and heal as needed.
At this point, things repeat until Hades reaches around 5-10% HP.
Phase Two
Now shielded from further damage, Hades summons many Shadow of the Ancients for you to kill. Between the three waves, AoE and stack markers will be thrown out. Kill the waves before Hades’ Fervor of the Ancients meter maxes out and prepare to heal through the transitional blast.
Phase Three
After Hades sheds his skin, he’ll be an omnipresent enemy on the outer north of the arena. He’s big and ready to cast his raid-wide AoE – Titanomachy. Run to the sides to avoid Shadow Stream ripping through you. Each tank will then be targeted by Dual Strike and will need to steer clear of any other players. Tankbusters for all!
Echo of the Lost can be dodged by getting to whichever side Hades’ arm rests on. You want to get under the arm as the clear side will get plowed. If both arms are on the arena, get into the middle. Heal through Titanomachy and have the tanks run to either far side to bait Hellborn Yawp away from the team. Captivity will then target two players and stun anyone caught within, imprisoning them and requiring the rest of the team to smash them out. If too many players are stunned, you’ll have trouble here meeting the requirements.
Dual Strike will then target the tanks again, while Nether Blast tether will target the rest. Spread out and get ready for big heals. Cleanse your Doom debuff by standing in a glowing circle (you can share). Then shuffle over to the safe side for the east/west Wall of the Lost knockback. Stay there to dodge Shadow Stream and group up for another Titanomachy.
You’ve seen about all there is to see now. Things slip into a manic rotation with AoEs, tank splits, Captivity (during Doom) and Echo of the Lost. If Hades can make you move, he’ll make you move. Just stay alert and good luck keeping your damage rotations going. At around 20%, you’ll be dragged in by Life in Captivity and enter phase four.
Phase Four
After some frankly terrific scripted events and a button-mashing Active Time Maneuver segment, Hades will do little than blast the team with The Dark Devours over and over until you finish him off. A larger blast after every three hits will be the only real damage output here. Just focus on beating him to a pulp before The Black Cauldron finishes casting. Healers can make do with shields/regens and a quick top-up with each bigger blast.
And that’s it. You’re done. Let the cutscenes roll.
