FFXIV The Dragon’s Neck: How To Unlock + Trial Guide

Inside of the Dragons Neck in FFXIV

To unlock the Level 50 trial The Dragon’s Neck, also known as the Ultros and Typhon trial, you must accept the Level 50 quest “The Coliseum Conundrum” from Briardien in Ul’dah – Steps of Thal (X:14.0, Y:10.0 – Merchant Strip).

This quest is part of the Hildibrand Adventures questline from patch 2.4 of A Realm Reborn.

Step-by-Step Unlock Guide

Mythril Cup representatives in Ul’dah - Steps of Thal / Final Fantasy XIV
Mythril Cup representatives in Ul’dah – Steps of Thal
  1. Finish the Level 50 Main Scenario Quest “The Ultimate Weapon” from Raubahn in Northern Thanalan (X:15.0, Y:16.0).
  2. Complete the quest “The Rise and Fall of Gentlemen” from Wymond in Ul’dah – Steps of Nald (X:9.8, Y:8.7) to begin the Hildibrand Adventures questline.
  3. Accept the Level 50 quest “The Coliseum Conundrum” from Briardien in Ul’dah – Steps of Thal (X:14.0, Y:10.0 – Merchant Strip).
  4. Go through the comedic story by interacting with the necessary NPCs, starting with Dour Meadow in Ul’dah – Steps of Thal (X:9.8, Y:11.2 – Merchant Strip).

Detailed Unlocking Guide

The quest “The Coliseum Conundrum” is part of the Hildibrand Adventures questline. To unlock it, you must finish the Level 50 MSQ “The Ultimate Weapon” from Raubahn in Northern Thanalan (X:15.0, Y:16.0).

After completing the main story for patch 2.0, head to Ul’dah – Steps of Nald (X:9.8, Y:8.7) and accept the Level 50 quest “The Rise and Fall of Gentlemen” from Wymond.

This will begin the Hildibrand Adventures questline.

Briarden’s map location in Ul’dah - Steps of Thal / Final Fantasy XIV
Briarden’s map location in Ul’dah – Steps of Thal

Hildibrand Adventures is a comedic storyline that follows the heir of the Manderville empire, Hildibrand Manderville, and his trusty assistant, Nashu Mhakaracca.

The pair will embark on an adventure full of twists and turns as they try to deliver justice for the Eorzean people.

You’ll need to go through Hildibrand content from patch 2.0 to 2.4 to unlock “The Coliseum Conundrum.” Once you’ve caught up, talk to Briardien in Ul’dah – Steps of Thal (X:14.0, Y:10.0 – Merchant Strip) to begin.

Dour Meadow’s map location in Ul’dah - Steps of Thal / Final Fantasy XIV
Dour Meadow’s map location in Ul’dah – Steps of Thal

At this point in the story, Hildibrand and the gang are trying to get into the Mythril Cup in Ul’dah.

Following the initial cutscene, talk to the following NPCs in this order to unlock Dragon’s Neck:

  1. Dour Meadow in Ul’dah – Steps of Thal (X:9.8, Y:11.2 – Merchant Strip)
  2. Briarden in Ul’dah – Steps of Thal (X:9.7, Y:11.2 – Merchant Strip)
  3. Dour Meadow once more, now in Eastern Thanalan (X:14.7, Y:30.1)

This trial requires at least a Level 50 Disciple of War or Magic job and an average item level of 80 to enter.

Trial Boss: Ultros and Typhon

Ultros and Typhon, both Final Fantasy staples / Final Fantasy XIV
Ultros and Typhon, both Final Fantasy staples

This trial can be easily soloed with a high-level character. Simply burn down the boss with your unsynced character to clear the trial. Be careful not to fall off the arena if you’re alone, or you will wipe.

If you want to do the dungeon while synced, we’ll cover their mechanics below:

Phase 1: Imp Song and Severe Snort

Players that walk or get pushed off the arena will be stunned for three seconds. If everyone gets pushed off, the party will wipe. Jump back into the arena as soon as the stun wears off.

Ultros

Have everyone else focus on killing Ultros while the off-tank moves Typhon away from the group. If you’re a DPS, always remember to get hit by Aqua Breath if you’re turned into an imp.

  • Bosom Buddies: If Ultros’ HP drops 10% lower than Typhon’s, Typhon will share its HP with Ultros to make them equal again.
  • Megavolt: A point-blank AoE attack. Always stay away from Ultros if you’re using a ranged character.
  • Aqua Breath: A non-telegraphed frontal cone AoE attack. This attack will also inflict a stacking “Wet Plate” debuff on players transformed into imps.
  • Imp Song: Random players will be turned into imps for 55 seconds. During this time, they can only use “Imp Punch.” Allow yourself to get hit by “Aqua Breath” to gain a stack of “Wet Plate.”
  • Wet Plate Status: Use “Imp Punch” while having a stack of “Wet Plate” on Typhon when it uses “Severe Snort” to dispel your imp status. Note that getting hit by Typhon’s “Fireball” will remove one stack of “Wet Plate.”

Typhon

Only the off-tank should be hitting Typhon. Have everyone else focus on killing Ultros. Prioritize avoiding Typhon’s attacks so you don’t get knocked off the arena.

  • Bosom Buddies: If Typhon’s HP drops 10% lower than Ultros’, Ultros will share its HP with Typhon to make them equal again.
  • Grind: A strong tankbuster attack on the primary target. Shield and heal through the damage.
  • Fireball: A targeted AoE on a random player.
  • Fungah: A non-telegraphed AoE attack that knocks players back.
  • Severe Snort: Typhon will move to the center and slowly cast a room-wide AoE attack that knocks players back. Move near its hitbox or use knockback-immunity skills to avoid getting pushed off.

    Typhon will also gain eight stacks of “Invigoration” during the cast. Use “Imp Punch” while having a stack of “Wet Plate” on Typhon when it uses “Severe Snort” to dispel your imp status. “Imp Punch” will remove “Invigoration” stacks from Typhon depending on the number of “Wet Plate” stacks you have after using “Imp Punch.”

Phase 2: Snortsault and Tentacles

Most of the mechanics from Phase 1 will be repeated, along with some new ones.

Ultros

  • 4-tonze Weight: A targeted AoE that stuns affected players for five seconds.
  • Tentacle: Ultros will summon tentacles around the arena that will either do a line or frontal cone attack. Move to the sides to avoid the line attack, or to the edge of the arena to avoid the frontal cones.

Typhon

  • Snortsault (rotating): Typhon will move to the center of the arena and constantly cast frontal and backward cone AoEs while rotating counter-clockwise for 30 seconds. These AoEs will knock players off the arena.
  • FUNGAH: A targeted AoE that knocks players up.
  • Snortsault (room-wide): A room-wide AoE attack cast five times in a row that knocks players back a small distance. Shield and heal through the attack.

Rewards

Ultros and Typhon loot / Final Fantasy XIV
Ultros and Typhon loot
  • Ultros & Typhon Triple Triad Card (not guaranteed)
  • Terra Branford Triple triad Card (not guaranteed)
Name Type Quality
Wind-up Ultros Minion Basic

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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