Part 43: Footfalls in Ash

Main Walkthrough

Reverie - Enemies

  • Defense Node
  • Fallen Bug
  • Fallen Guardian
  • Fallen Hunter
  • Purobolos
  • Purple Bavarois

After a bit of a trek through Waloeder territory Clive has arrived at Reverive, the enormous tower home of Barnabas. This place looks and plays similarly to the ruins beneath the Phoenix Gate - just harder - so you should be right at home with most of the enemies.

Follow the main path and you'll find a reception committee consisting of Fallen Hunters and Defense Nodes. The Defense Nodes cast Bravery on the Fallen Hunters, so you may want to take out the nodes first. On your left is a door leading to a larger room, and here you'll find five pinches of Magicked Ash. Step onto the plate in the middle of the floor and it will rise up several levels.

At the top of this elevator you'll get into a scrap with three Purobolos. They fight just like Bombs, and shouldn't stand a chance against your Eikonic Abilities. Go through the nearby door and you'll find a bridge with a Potion and four spools of Steelsilk. The bridge leads to a clearing protected by a Fallen Guardian and two Purobolos. The Purobolos are a nuisance while you fight the Guardian, so use Clive to take down one of them and leave the other to Torgal. With them gone this is a standard Fallen Guardian battle.

Take a right from this battlefield to find five Sharp Fangs beside a door. Inside is another floor elevator. It will take you up to a room with an adjoining bridge patrolled by Fallen Bugs and a Defense Node. Snag the Potion by the door, then head out and fight the Bugs. At the other end of the bridge are four Bloody Hides and a door... though before you reach the door you'll get into a scrap with a Purple Bavarois. It's your typical Flan, though lightning-elemental - and seemingly more aggressive than the other variants, to boot.

Head through the next door and you'll find a small hallway with five pinches of Magicked Ash and a chest. The chest contains The Favor of Ice (Ice Age). Head through the door at the other end of the hallway and you'll find a larger room containing a Potion and a High Potion, and beyond it is an elevator. The elevator takes you up to a room guarded by three Fallen Hunters, and containing three chunks of Wyrrite.

The next chamber has two lifts that bring two waves of enemies down:

  • First are Fallen Bugs and Defense Nodes. Not a big deal. Rush them before they can split up and use an AOE attack.
  • Next are Puroboloses and Fallen Hunters. Go after the clustered Fallen Hunters and leave the Puroboloses to Torgal.
Through the next door you'll find a Potion and yet another floor elevator. Get ready for a boss fight, as there's one waiting at the top of the elevator.

Soultaker

A revamp of the Undertaker from earlier in Final Fantasy XVI, the Soultaker, unsurprisingly, presents more of a challenge. Its moves are familiar, but almost always ramped up in one way or another. The Soultaker uses the following attacks:

  • A sideways punch
  • A backhand (if you're behind Soultaker)
  • A rushing, full-body charge
  • A fist slam that triggers an AOE explosion
  • A stomp that triggers a small AOE burst
  • A jumping attack that unleashes a shockwave
  • Spirits Within, an enormous beam that is aimed up, then down, then to the Soultaker's left

Despite the improvements, the Soultaker is about as difficult as the Undertaker. Its attacks are slow and predictable, and aside from its backhand attack you can flank the creature without much fear. Chip away at the Soultaker's sides, watch its body language for incoming punches or stomps, and wait for the stagger. After it is staggered once the Soultaker will begin using its aerial shockwave attack, though as long as you back off and hop over the shockwave you'll be fine. All in all, an easy battle.

You'll receive Wyrrite and Meteorites for defeating the Soultaker. Climb onto the curved ramp at the side of the battlefield and you'll find a Potion, as well as the way forward. Keep climbing the ramp to find four spools of Steelsilk and a High Potion. At the top you'll find a doorway leading to a bridge, where you'll battle some Fallen Hunters.

Cross the bridge to find three chunks of Wyrrite on your left, and, a bit further up, a chest containing The Will of Ice (Mesmerize). Go through the door on your left to find another elevator, and stepping onto it will lead to a cut scene. Time for another boss already?

Control Node

An upscaled version of the Defense Node, the Control Node is also quite a bit more dangerous. It is far swifter than the others, and doesn't need to hide behind mooks to put up a fight. The Control Node uses the following attacks:

  • A swift rushing attack
  • A crushing attack where the Control Node splits apart, then tries to clamp back together around Clive's body
  • A cluster of energy darts that fly at Clive
  • A beam that it sweeps across the room, either horizontally or vertically
  • An AOE field attack
  • Short Circuit, a flurry of beams that erupt out of all sides of the Control Node
  • High Voltage, a charging attack that hits Clive for heavy damage regardless of where he is in the room
This fight isn't too bad. The Control Node zips around the area, either trying to blast you with energy attacks or ramming into you. Ranged Eikonic Abilities are ideal, though if you specialize more in close-quarter combat you'll need to dash after the sphere and smack it around whenever it stops moving. Any sort of electrical buildup surrounding the Control Node hints at an incoming attack, so get out of the way.

Partway through the fight the Control Node will charge up to High Voltage. During this time it will periodically slam into the ground, releasing an electrical AOE attack. If you have ranged attacks this is no problem, though melee fighters will, again, have more of an issue. Dodge away whenever it rises into the air and wait for it to come back down. High Voltage is not a OHKO, so if it goes off just heal.

Alas, defeating the Control Node is not the end of your problems...


Aurum Giant

Another reprise of the Iron Giant, the Aurum Giant is close in combat skill to Atlas, a Notorious Mark that you may have fought earlier in the game. This combatant is quite a bit easier, however, as you'll be at a much higher level than you were against Atlas. The Aurum Giant uses the following attacks:

  • A slicing sword combo that can be executed at a long range, thanks to a starting jump
  • A thrust with its shield that can come as part of a combo with the sword
  • A sideswipe with its shield
  • An AOE stomp that can come as part of a combo with the sword
  • A sword-dragging charge attack that can send Clive flying into the air
  • A three-part, long-range shockwave slice
  • A long-range shockwave that leaves behind a damaging trail for a few seconds
  • Golden Section, which conjures an enormous sword for a horizontal swipe that leaves behind a field of exploding energy patches
  • Aetherial Assault Cannon, which creates a field of marks that get bombarded by lasers after a few seconds
This fight is your standard duel. The Aurum Giant is proficient at all ranges of combat, and it moves very quickly. It's possible to Parry any of its sword strikes, but you're putting yourself in danger if you try. Stay on the Aurum Giant's sides and use fast Eikonic Abilities to slice away at its health, backing off whenever it raises its sword or shield. The Aurum Giant's rushing attack is among its most dangerous, so for the most part you'll want to stay close to the giant. More dangerous than the Control Node, for sure, but not that bad.

You'll receive Fallen Iron and Wyrrite for defeating the Aurum Giant. You'll also reach, more or less, the top of the tower. Check to your left before you leave the lift for a Potion and two High Potions, and climb the remaining ramp to find five pinches of Magicked Ash, two Potions, and a High Potion. Head through the remaining door when you're ready.


Barnabas

Rematch, part two! Barnabas starts off virtually identical to your previous battle, utilizing quick sword slashes and teleportation to whittle you down. Here's a quick recap of his attacks:
  • Teleporting melee combos
  • A wide AOE sword slash
  • Quick shockwaves from great distances
  • Swift lunging stabs that carry Barnabas across the battlefield
  • A sword slash that creates an AOE field of smaller slashes in front of Barnabas (think Malenia from Elden Ring)
  • The Lord's Measure, which creates a cross pattern in the air that you need to avoid
Your tactics here are more or less the same as last time. Barnabas will block any head-on attacks, so you need to wait for him to launch his own attack, then catch him during his recovery period. Wait for him to stiffen up, dodge whichever attack he uses, and use an Eikonic Ability to slip past his defenses. Anything that takes a while to execute is undesirable, as Barnabas will happily ignore the attack and slam Clive around.


Barnabas's HP will drop at a glacial rate. Don't worry about this, as you're more concerned with his stagger gauge. Get it down and, after a quick transformation - and Cinematic Evasion - the second phase will begin. Barnabas now has some new attacks to throw at you:
  • A teleporting attack that puts Barnabas above your head for a second before he slashes downward
  • The Lord's Measure, which covers a great deal more of the terrain than before
  • Blinding Steel, which creates a huge, nigh-unavoidable wave of energy for several seconds
The difficulty here is that the second phase takes place on a much more limited battlefield, forcing you into closer quarters with Barnabas. You can nevertheless play this to your advantage, as Barnabas also can't get away from Clive as easily. Stay on Barnabas's as much as you can, use quick Eikonic Abilities, and trigger your Limit Break whenever it maxes out to try and sneak in a Parry - or just to recover some health.

The big gimmick of this phase is Blinding Steel, which at least at first seems impossible to avoid. You have two options here: Either use Deadly Embrace to zip up into the air, which requires you to have Gardua equipped, or move around the curve of the battlefield before the attack goes off. If luck is on your side the angle of the beam will give you a safe spot to ride it out unharmed.

Stagger Barnabas again and you'll get a long cut scene, along with a quick Cinematic Clash. Once you're back in control you'll need to fight Barnabas again, and this time he's charging up to Ultimate Zantetsukan, a OHKO move. You must deplete Barnabas's move gauge before he's done charging. Barnabas's attacks don't change much here, though he is more vulnerable to normal melee strikes. Hold back a few Eikonic Abilities for the 'official' countdown.


Stop Ultimate Zantetsuken from going off and Barnabas will switch phases again, introducing yet more attacks:
  • Quieting, which forces Clive to the edge of the battlefield while Barnabas transforms
  • The Great Divide, which makes Barnabas's sword enormous and prompts him to make vertical and horizontal chops towards Clive
  • The All-wielder, a huge downwards chop after Great Divide that leaves Barnabas vulnerable for several seconds
Despite the flashier nature of Barnabas's attacks in this phase, it is arguably easier than what you've faced up to this point. Barnabas has greater range, but his attacks are slightly slower and more predictable. He also takes more time to recover after his moves. Melee strikes are back to nigh-useless when Barnabas is facing you, so wait for him to finish off a move to move into one of yours. 


Stagger Barnabas again and he'll transform into Odin. All you can do during this phase is avoid his enormous - but slow - sword swipes. Endure enough of these and Barnabas will change back into a human. He has a few new attacks:
  • Circle of Malius, a whirling attack that turns Barnabas into a flying wheel that will sweep towards Clive
  • An overhead downward chop and a forward slice, immediately after Circle of Malius ends
  • The Lord's Measure, which now covers the vast majority of the battlefield - albeit with holes in the pattern where you can hide
Circle of Malius is more intimidating than dangerous, and when Barnabas flies at Clive you can dodge into him to avoid damage. Get away from him after it ends or you'll likely take a few swords to the face. Beyond that - and the improved Lord's Measure - the fight remains the same before. Just keep chipping away and you'll eventually trounce Barnabas.

You'll receive a Dark Shard for defeating Barnabas. Clive will also (albeit quite reluctantly) receive the power of Odin, completing your collection of Eikons. In addition to your tangible rewards, ending this quest will also unlock a new side quest, Laid to Rest, as well as five new Notorious Marks: Gobermouch, Bygul, Agni, Usher to the Underworld, and The Blood Moon.

Main Walkthrough