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Vanguard is a level 97 Dungeon inFinal Fantasy 14: Dawntrail. A mysterious dome has appeared over what was once Erenville’s hometown of Yyasulani, and Zoraal Ja’s army of mechanical soldiers has emerged from it, staging a vicious attack on Tuliyollal.
With a train outfitted with explosives, you’re taking the shortest and loudest approach to the entrance to this strange domed village. Vanguard is the checkpoint between whatever is inside of the dome and the outside, so you’ll need to fight your way through. Here’s how to beat every boss in the level 97 Dungeon, Vanguard.
How To Unlock Vanguard
You’ll unlock this quest naturally as you progress through the Main Scenario at level 97.
Vanguard Commander R8
The first boss of Vanguard is Vanguard Commander R8, who rides into battle on a futuristic motorcycle. Here are its attacks.
Electrowave
Roomwide AoE
Deals damage to all players and covers theedge of the arenain a dangerous AoE.
Enhanced Mobility
AoE
The Vanguard Commander will mark acircular AoEon the ground before engaging itsWingblade to the left or right. The Commander will thendrive around the circle, dealing damage in its path and towhichever side the Wingblade is on. Visualize the path of the Wingblade and either move to the center of the arena or the edges to avoid taking damage.
Dispatch
Line AoE
Summons four Vanguard Sentry R8 that will each perform aline AoEfrom one side of the arena. This AoEisn’t telegrapheduntil a split second before they move, so watch where the Sentries appear to avoid taking damage.
Dispatch - Aerial Offensive
Circle AoE
Four Vanguard Sentrieswill spawn around the arena before creatingcircle AoEs that grow over time. Move out of the telegraphed areas andkeep moving until they stop growingto avoid this attack.
Subsequent uses of this version of Dispatch will havetwo sets of four Sentriesappear, creatingtwo sets of growing circle AoEs. Watch the expanding areas carefully and move accordingly to avoid this combo.
Dispatch/Electrosurge
Line AoE/AoE Markers
Summonseight Vanguard Sentries,two sets of four on adjacent wallsof the arena, thenmarks each player with an AoE Marker. The Sentries will Dash down the arena while each player is struck by the AoE Marker,Electrosurge. Watch where the Sentries intersect while spreading out to avoid this combo.
The Vanguard Commander R8 mainly relies onDispatch, but these positional AoEs should be second nature to avoid at this point. The main attack to watch out for isEnhanced Mobility; there are really onlytwo ways this attack can resolve, but keep in mind the side and direction of the Wingblade regardless.
Protector
The second boss is the Protector. Its mechanics are detailed below.
Deals damage to all party members and turns theedge of the square arena into an AoE. Avoid moving here for the duration of the battle.
Search and Destroy
Line AoE/Circle AoE
Summons several untargetable Explosive and Laser Turrets that will thenrepeatedly fire Line and Circle AoEsat all players. Keep moving to avoid this. Luckily,these AoEs do not inflict Vulnerability Up, so getting hit by a few is expected.
Subsequent uses of this attack will create maze-likeFulminous Fencesthat you’ll need to navigate through while avoiding line and circle AoEs.
Fulminous Fence
Summon
Summons sixFulminous Fencesaround the center of the arena thatinflict Paralysis on players who pass through them. These will persist through the Protector’s next attack.
Battery Circuit
Rotating Conal AoE/Circle AoE
Protector will attack withconal AoEs to its front and backbefore slowlyrotating in a circle. At the same time,circle AoEswill randomly target the arena. To avoid this attack, you’ll need tomove around in a circle with the Protector, but remember toavoid passing through the Fulminous Fences, as these will inflictParalysis, which will periodically stun you for a second.
Motion Sensor
Acceleration Bomb/Line AoE
Inflicts each player with anAcceleration Bombthat willexplode if you are moving when the debuff expires. At the same time, untargetable turrets will fireline AoEs in sequential orderfrom the sides of the arena. Avoid these line AoEs while the Bomb debuff ticks down, then stand in place during the last second to avoid its explosion.
Tracking Bolt
AoE Markers
Targets all players withlarge circular AoE Markers. Spread out to avoid overlapping these.
Heavy Blast Cannon
Line Stack Marker
Targets a random player with aline Stack Marker. Group up on their position to spread out the damage of this attack.
There is a lot to this fight, and avoiding the AoEs duringMotion Sensorcan get hectic, especially when theFulminous Fencesare active. Although the AoEs of Motion Sensordon’t inflict Vulnerability Up, you’ll still want to do your best to avoid each one. If you pass through a Fence at any point, you’re muchmore likely to be hit with additional AoEs, so make avoiding this your top priority.
Zander the Snakeskinner
The final boss of Vanguard is Zander the Snakeskinner, Ophidian Outrider. This boss hastwo phases; his attacks and mechanics in each phase are detailed below.
Soulbane Saber
Deals damage in aline AoE to the boss’s front, which will thenexplode a few seconds after the line AoE resolves. Getbehind the bossto avoid this two-hit combo of AoEs.
Subsequent uses of this attack will have the boss useSoulbane Saber multiple times in a row, targetingdifferent parts of the arena. Additionally, this attack will bepaired with Soulbane Shock, targeting each player withAoE Markers. Spread out while avoiding the explosions from Soulbane Saber.
Saber Rush
Tankbuster
Deals high damage to the Tank. Usedefensive cooldownsto mitigate this damage.
Zander will repeat these attacks until his healthbar reaches zero, at which pointphase twowill begin.
Phase 2
Zander will regain all health and transform, gaining a new set of attacks.
Syntheslither
Zander will move to one edge of the arena before preparing a four-hit attack.Four sword markerswill appear in aline down the arena; Zander will strike each one with aconal AoEas he moves down this line. The direction of this AoEdepends on the side that the area just ahead of the marker favors. For example, if the line turns to the right after the marker, then Zander will strike to the right side. This attack will be repeated after Zander moves to the other side of the arena.
Slitherbane Foreguard
Deals damage in aline AoE similar to Soulbane Saberfrom the first phase, but with an addedhalf-circle AoE in the same direction. Stand behind the boss to avoid.
Slitherbane Rearguard
Deals damage in aline AoE also similar to Soulbane SaberorSlitherbane Foreguard, but with anadded half-circle AoE to the back. Stand either to theleft or the rightof the boss to avoid both AoEs.
Deals damage toall party members. Recover with AoE healing.
Zander will repeat these mechanics until he is defeated. Compared to the second boss, this fight should be fairly straightforward. Syntheslither may look intimidating at first, but avoiding it is pretty easy. Be sure topay attention to the cast bars when Zander uses Slitherbane Foreguard and Rearguard, as this could trip you up if you’re not careful.
