FFXIV The Dancing Plague (Normal): Unlock + Trial Guide

Titania in the Dancing Plague Trial

You can unlock the Level 73 trial The Dancing Plague, also known as Titania NM, by accepting the Level 73 MSQ “Acht-la Ormh Inn” from Seto in Il Mheg (X:30.4, Y:7.5). This MSQ is part of the patch 5.0 Main Scenario Questline for the Shadowbringers expansion.

In this guide we’ll cover how to unlock the trial and how to handle the battle mechanics for each phase of the fight.

Unlocking Quest: Acht-la Ormh Inn

The Dancing Plague is the first story trial you’ll unlock in the Shadowbringers expansion. You’ll need to accept the Level 73 MSQ “Acht-la Ormh Inn” before it can be unlocked.

This requires you to finish every MSQ leading up to “Acht-la Ormh Inn,” including every MSQ from previous expansions. Once you’ve caught up with the story, talk to Seto in Il Mheg (X:30.4, Y:7.5) to begin.

Seto’s map location in Il Mheg / Final Fantasy XIV
Seto’s map location in Il Mheg

At this point in the main story, you are now in possession of the four relics needed to break the seal over Lyhe Ghiah.

All that’s left is to enter the castle and confront the fallen Faerie King Titania, who is now the Lightwarden of the region, to extinguish the eternal daytime sky.

After talking to Seto, travel to the castle entrance in Il Mheg (X:18.6, Y:15.9) and interact with the destination point to unlock The Dancing Plague. This trial requires at least a Level 73 Disciple of War or Magic job and has no average item level requirement.

Trial Boss: Titania

The Lightwarden Titania / Final Fantasy XIV
The Lightwarden Titania

This trial can be soloed using a high-level character tank character with endgame gear. Most of Titania’s attacks apply a stacking “Vulnerability Up” debuff for 120 seconds. Read about her mechanics below to help you clear the trial smoothly either on your own or with your friends.

Phase 1: Phantom Rune and Mist Rune

Rotation:

Bright Sabbath > Phantom Rune > Divination Rune > Mist Rune > Flame Rune > Phantom Rune > Midsummer Night’s Dream.

  • Bright Sabbath: A room-wide AoE attack.
  • Phantom Rune: A mechanic that can spawn one of two attacks: a room-wide donut AoE or a point-blank AoE that applies a 3-second “Hysteria” debuff.
  • Divination Rune: A frontal cone tankbuster marker on the primary target. Always face the boss away from the party.
“Mist Rune” water puddles counting down / Final Fantasy XIV
“Mist Rune” water puddles counting down
  • Mist Rune: Four water puddles will spawn that need to be stood on before their timers expire to prevent “Spirit of Dew” mobs from spawning on top of them. These puddles also give a constant “Fire Resistance” buff that can be used to survive “Flame Rune”.
  • Spirit of Dew: Living bombs that can spawn on top of “Mist Rune” water puddles if the puddles aren’t handled properly. These spirits will self-destruct using “Spring Shower” if they stay alive for too long.
  • Spring Shower (Spirit of Dew): A room-wide AoE attack that applies a stacking “Vulnerability Up” debuff for 120 seconds and destroys the “Spirit of Dew.”
A “Flame Rune” stack marker while “Spirit of Dew” mobs prepare to self-destruct / Final Fantasy XIV
A “Flame Rune” stack marker while “Spirit of Dew” mobs prepare to self-destruct
  • Flame Rune: The boss will spawn a flaming fist that will apply a stack marker on a random player. Stack with the affected player while standing inside a water puddle to reduce incoming damage.
  • Midsummer Night’s Dream: A transitionary move that transforms the arena and signals the start of Phase 2.

Phase 2: Frost Rune and Minions

Rotation:

Growth Rune > Phantom Rune > Bright Sabbath > Frost Rune > Uplift > Phantom Rune > Puck + Peaseblossom + Mustardseed > Love-in-Idleness > Being Mortal.

“Growth Rune” vines that bind players for some time / Final Fantasy XIV
“Growth Rune” vines that bind players for some time
  • Growth Rune: Omnidirectional column attacks that apply a “Bleeding” DoT and “Bind” debuff that persist for some time.
  • Frost Rune: Nine massive circle AoEs will cover the entire room in a set order, with the first circle AoE always appearing in the center. Move to the last AoE that appears, wait for the center AoE to explode, then move into the safe zone.
  • Uplift: Targeted circle AoEs on all players. Spread out to avoid overlap.
Titania’s three minions / Final Fantasy XIV
Titania’s three minions
  • Puck, Peaseblossom, and Mustardseed: Mobs that need to be killed before the “Titania’s Power” gauge reaches 100. Have one tank grab Puck while the other one tanks Peaseblossom and Mustardseed. The order in which you kill the mobs doesn’t matter. Just make sure you kill one mob at a time to reduce incoming damage.
  • Love-in-Idleness: After defeating her minions, the boss will revive them, make them bigger, and strengthen their attacks. Note that the gauge will continue ticking up once the minions respawn, so you’ll need to kill them twice within the same timeframe to survive.
Name Skill
Puck
  • Gentle Breeze: A column attack toward a random player.
  • Pummel: A non-telegraphed tankbuster attack on the primary target.

Available after “Love-in-Idleness:”

  • Puck’s Rebuke: Puck will slam the center of the arena, instantly killing anyone caught in the point-blank AoE and knocking players back. Position yourselves to get knocked into safe zones. Knockback-immunity skills won’t work against this mechanic.
  • Puck’s Caprice: A room-wide AoE attack.
Peaseblossom
  • Peasebomb: Targeted circle AoEs on random players.
  • Hard Swipe: A non-telegraphed tankbuster attack on the primary target.
Mustardseed
  • Leafstorm: Three frontal cone AoEs with gaps in between.
  • Being Mortal: A room-wide ultimate AoE attack that deals damage based on the “Titania’s Power” gauge. Kill the boss’ three minions before the gauge reaches 100 or your party will wipe.

Phase 3: Repeating Mechanics

Rotation:

Mist Rune > Uplift > Flame Rune > Phantom Rune > Growth Rune > Phantom Rune > Divination Rune > Frost Rune > Bright Sabbath > Phantom Rune x2 > Divination Rune > Bright Sabbath x2 > Repeat until death.

A stronger version of “Growth Rune” / Final Fantasy XIV
A stronger version of “Growth Rune”
  • Growth Rune (Phase 3): Two omnidirectional column attacks will now spawn on opposite corners of the arena.

Rewards

Triple Triad Card #247: Titania / Final Fantasy XIV
Triple Triad Card #247: Titania
  • Titania Triple Triad Card (not guaranteed)

Marc Vista

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Marc is a casual FFXIV Summoner veteran, retired TF2 Soldier main, and professional communicator. He's also a huge fan of anime, Hololive, and the Golden State Warriors.

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