Palace of the Dead

The Palace of the Dead

Level

1 (Sync: 60)

Difficulty

Normal

Party size

Flexible
1-4 man • 1-4

Unsyncing

Allowed

Time limit

60 minutes

Duty Finder

None (NPC entrance)

Req. quest

The House That Death Built

Entrance

South Shroud (X:25.2, Y:20.6)

Patch

3.35

“

In the subterranean city of Gelmorra, deep within a forgotten corner of Issom--Har, stout-hearted explorers have uncovered the entrance to a labyrinthine dungeon. Those who set foot inside its maddening halls find their vigor drained by an irresistible fog of innervation, and repeated excursions have failed to map its seemingly inconstant architecture. After hearing chilling accounts of spectral denizens, locals took to the whispering of a "Palace of the Dead", and the Wood Wailers now seek the assistance of adventurers in laying bare its haunted secrets...

— In-game description

The Palace of the Dead is a level 1 deep dungeon introduced in patch 3.35 with Heavensward.

It's located in South Shroud at Quarrymill (X:25.2 Y:20.6), and is unlocked by the quest The House That Death Built. As a roguelike dungeon, the Palace of the Dead's objective is to descend each varying floor, fighting creatures along the way while dealing with hazardous environments, until eventually reaching a boss that awaits at the bottom level.

Quests

Quest	Type	Level	Quest Giver	Unlocks	Rewards
The House That Death Built		17	Nojiro Marujiro	Palace of the Dead	Options: 1   Hard Leather Wristbands 1   Fang Necklace 2   Allagan Bronze Piece
The Nightmare's End		50	Balan	I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
What Lies Beneath		17	Wood Wailer Expeditionary Captain
Dead but Not Gone		60	Wood Wailer Expeditionary	Dead Tired

Mechanics

A Brief Explanation

What To Do

The Palace of the Dead has specific features for characters and data saving.

Entry interface

Players can enter the dungeon or manage character data by talking to Wood Wailer Expeditionary Captain, located in Quarrymill. He offers the following interface:

Each option means:

• 1- Name — Character name and title.
• 2- Gear — Character aetherpool gear level, including armor and arm (more information below).
• 3- Commands — Commands to enter Palace of the Dead, manage save data, reset save data, or learn more about the dungeon.

Important: Regardless of which option is chosen (new run, load slot, reset slot, etc.), the aetherpool gear level will never be erased. The only way that aetherpool data may be lost is by expending gear level for Padjal or Kinna weapons (more information below).

Enter the Palace of the Dead

This option serves to enter the dungeon. It offers two slots to save your progression within Palace of the Dead. You may pick an empty slot to start a new run, or load a previously saved run.

Entering the Palace of the Dead has the following requirements:

• Class requirement: Disciple of War or Disciple of Magic
• Item level requirement: None
• Item level sync: None
• Party size: Light Party (up to four players)
• Time limit: 60 minutes
• There are extra requirements depending on level range:
  • 51-100 — Players are required to complete level 50 and the quest What Lies Beneath.
  • 101-200 — Players are required to be in a fixed party.

There are two options to manage Palace of the Dead entry:

• Enter with a fixed party: You will start the run with a pre-made party (or solo), and you can only load this slot with members having the same respective progress slot available (this includes all party members and party composition chosen upon registering). This is also the only way to progress past level 100.
• Enter with a matched party: The Duty Finder will attempt to match a party seeking the same floor as your party. Similarly, you can only load this slot with members having the same respective progress slot available. You may only progress up to level 100 using this option.

Additionally, there are two floors from which players can start:

• Floor one: Start on floor number 1.
• Floor fifty-one: Start on floor number 51. This option is only available after you have cleared floor 50 and completed The Nightmare's End.

Reset your progress

This option will prompt you to reset your progress, and it will completely erase your data. Remember that this process cannot be undone.

Disband your party

This option converts a fixed party saved data to a matched party saved data, and reset pomander information. Under these conditions you will be able to be matched with other players who are currently playing on the same floor as you. If any members of a fixed party are unable to enter the deep dungeon after the deletion of save data or usage of the world transfer service, they must select "Disband your fixed party" to carry over their save data.

View your scores

When challenging the Palace of the Dead, players receive a score based on a number of factors such as highest floor reached and number of enemies slain. Separate scores for both solo and party play will be assigned after being defeated or clearing certain floors. The scores of players who venture beyond floor 100 may also appear on the rankings page on the Lodestone.

This option shows your score per class/job, and takes you to the Lodestone.

Learn about the Palace of the Dead

This option shows additional information about the Palace of the Dead.

Character growth

The Palace of the Dead employs a set of rules and mechanics unique to the deep dungeon.

Level

Upon registering for floor one, players will start at level 1 regardless of their current class or job level; for floor fifty-one, players will continue from level 60. By defeating monsters that appear in the dungeon, players will be able to gain EXP and level their characters up to 60 while below floor 51. The levels gained in progression of the dungeon, however, will not be the same as what players will receive upon clearing.

Your level inside the PotD can exceed your class level.

Experience

All enemies players encounter in the Palace of the Dead will give a fixed amount of EXP regardless of the number of members in your party or the difference in level between you and the enemy. Rested experience and experience bonuses besides the Armory Bonus (e.g. food or FC Buffs) will also be ignored.

Players have the full 60 minutes to run around and level up, but once you move forward you can't go back and keep your progress. The actual character experience gained is based on your current PotD level when you complete the set of floors. The amount is approximately 30% of a level for the first 10 floors, and is incrementally 10% higher for completing each subsequent floor set. This experience is awarded every time the floor set (10 floors) is cleared.

Note: Tables updated in patch 6.11.

Experience for Floors 51-60

Level	Experience	EXP with Armory Bonus
1	900	1800
2	1485	2970
3	2160	4320
4	2340	4680
5	3150	6300
6	4050	8100
7	5040	10080
8	6120	12240
9	7290	14580
10	7695	15390
11	9000	18000
12	10395	20790
13	11880	23760
14	12420	24840
15	12960	25920
16	13500	27000
17	14040	28080
18	14580	29160
19	15120	30240
20	15660	31320
21	16200	32400
22	16740	33480
23	17280	34560
24	17820	35640
25	18360	36720
26	20475	40950
27	22680	45360
28	24975	49950
29	27360	54720
30	28080	56160

Level	Experience	EXP with Armory Bonus
31	28800	57600
32	31365	62730
33	32130	64260
34	32895	65790
35	35640	71280
36	38475	76950
37	39330	78660
38	42300	84600
39	45360	90720
40	48510	97020
41	49500	99000
42	50490	100980
43	51480	102960
44	52470	104940
45	53460	106920
46	56925	113850
47	57960	115920
48	61560	123120
49	62640	125280
50	105300	210600
51	107055	214110
52	108810	217620
53	110565	221130
54	112320	224640
55	114075	228150
56	115930	231660
57	117585	235170
58	119340	238680
59+	121095	242190

Actions

There are no adjustments to or restrictions on any actions, role actions, or statuses. However, players must first reach the required level in the dungeon to have access to them. Players will even have the opportunity to gain actions and statuses above their current level regardless of whether they have completed the necessary class or job quests.

Please note that players who have entered the deep dungeon with a class will be restricted from using any job actions. Role slots become available at the levels at which they would during normal leveling.

Consumables

You can use any consumable item, including those from outside the PotD. HQ potions will drop from enemies inside. A good supply of HQ potions will make jobs without heals viable as well as Sustaining Potions exchanged from Gelmorran Potsherds, but they will need to beware of traps. Several traps within cause long-duration status effects which can be cleansed normally using the respective potions. Food will provide a benefit to stats, but not to XP gained.

Aetherpool Gear

When entering the Palace of the Dead, players are assigned an aetherpool rating. It's a measure of your character strength and defense within the PotD, and should be directly considered a stat. As long as the player completes a floor set (every 10 floors), any gains made are permanent (saved). It is the only attribute which affects your character in PotD (aside from level), and it's not tied to any class, weapon, or gear.

Strengthening aetherpool gear

Aetherpool gear can be enhanced by opening Silver Coffers. These coffers appear randomly on each floor and have a low chance of dropping from enemies (higher under the effect of a Pomander of Fortune). When enhancing gear, there is a chance of failure that varies depending on the current level of your gear and the floor where the silver coffer is found. Aetherpool gear can be enhanced to a maximum strength of +99. In the event the strength of your aetherpool gear exceeds the maximum allowed by your current floor, its attributes will be synced.

Fully upgrading your aetherpool gear requires repeating floors. However, aetherpool gear will not be upgraded if its rating would become a higher number than the floor you are on, i.e. it's not possible to farm floors 1-10 to maximize your stats for example. Failed attempts at enhancing aetherpool gear will show the message "Your aetherpool arm/armor remains unchanged."

Although upgrades are not guaranteed when the floor exceeds your aetherpool rating, the greater the difference, the higher the chance that you will gain a +3 increase instead of +1. (Your aetherpool arm/armor flares, instead of flickers).

Progress and syncing

Upon successfully finishing a Palace of the Dead run – completing all ten floors – any aetherpool progress and Accursed Hoards obtained are kept. Failing to complete the duty due to time running out or party KO, before finishing the tenth level, will result in lost progress to experience, attained aetherpool gear level, and Accursed Hoards obtained.

After level 1, your aetherpool gear will be synced if its rating is higher than 1/2 your current level.

Gear durability and spiritbonding

Aetherpool gear is not subject to durability loss, nor can it gain spiritbond when inside the Palace of the Dead. This also applies to any gear equipped upon entering the instance.

Floor mechanics

Inside Palace of the Dead, players are subject to various mechanics. The Character Panel is changed to show the player's current aetherpool gear level (arm and armor), current pomanders available, and active pomanders. The map is also changed to show each floor map; note that it is hidden at the start and it's uncovered as players progress throughout the rooms.

Map

Hitting M now shows the Palace of the Dead floor map along with a header UI.

The map displays the following information:

• Header UI
  • Cairn of Return activation status (more information below).
  • Cairn of Passage activation status (more information below).
  • Map enchantments — Each floor can have active enchantments on it; these change various aspects of gameplay such as quicker cast/recast time, or reduced party damage, etc. More information below.
  • Floor level.
• Map UI
  • Floor rooms — The rooms are uncovered as players visit them. The Pomander of Sight uncovers the whole floor at once.
  • Each floor may contain additional information:
    • Green flag — This is the initial room when you are first transported into the floor.
    • Leaf-like icon — This icon denotes the Cairn of Return.
    • Key-like icon — This icon denotes the Cairn of Passage.
    • Golden chests — These are the Golden Coffers, which contain buffs in them (more information below).
    • Silver chests — These are Silver Coffers; they offer a chance to strengthen your aetherpool gear (more information below).
    • Bronze chests — These are Bronze Coffers; they contain items in them (more information below).
    • PS: If a room contains a Golden Coffer, the map will always display only a golden chest icon there. This means such room still has a chance to have a Bronze/Silver Coffer. That may confuse groups that use a Pomander of Sight to reveal the whole floor, and are seeking Bronze/Silver Coffers.

Cairn of Return

Cairn of Return.

The Cairn of Return is a magical resurrection device within Palace of the Dead. It serves to resurrect fallen party members. Similarly to the Cairn of Passage, in order to use it players need to kill creatures until it lights up. For groups with no jobs able to resurrect, it's very important to have the Cairn of Return activated in case someone dies.

The Cairn of Return indicates how far it is from activation by the header icon above the floor map.

• — Inactive
• — Nearing activation
• — Activated

Cairn of Passage

Cairn of Passage.

The Cairn of Passage is a magical transportation area within Palace of the Dead. It serves to teleport the group to the next floor. In order to activate it, players need to kill creatures in the floor until it lights up. Once it lights up, all party members must stand within the glowing area to teleport to the next floor. Note that the Cairn of Passage won't teleport the group if someone is in combat, therefore requiring to kill any aggroed creatures, or if someone is dead.

Cairn of Passage indicates how far it is from activation by the header icon above the floor map.

• — Inactive
• — Nearing activation
• — Activated

Character panel

Character panel is changed while inside Palace of the Dead, and displays information related to the current floor or set of floors.

This UI displays the following information:

• Level, class/job, and experience to the next PotD level.
• Aetherpool gear level — This is broken into arm (strength) and armor (defense), each can increase up to +99.
• Items — This is a list of all pomanders obtained in the current run, as well as accursed hoards acquired.
• Item effects — This is a list of all active pomander effects inside PotD.

Environment

Palace of the Dead rooms.

The Palace of the Dead is a dangerous place, and its danger increases at each floor the group descends. Floors are composed of rooms which contain mostly hostile creatures awaiting players to attack, but they may also hold treasures for those bold enough to venture forward. Each group of ten floors, called a floor set, is considered a PotD run, and beating all ten levels will complete the duty.

All creatures inside PotD are aggressive (with one exception). Creature density varies with each room and floor level, and as players descend to lower floor sets, some patrolling mobs will start roaming the rooms to catch players off guard. At every tenth level there will be a boss guarding the exit; beating the boss completes the floor set, and awards players all rewards obtained over the course of the duty.

Hostile coffers

These hostile coffers are random, and can be encountered in most levels:

• Silver Coffer Trap — This silver coffer looks like a regular one, but will explode upon opening, dealing high damage in an area around it. It's recommended players don't attempt to continue walking until they have their health back. It's fairly common for groups to wipe because players chain Silver Coffer Traps with explosion traps, since both cause high AoE damage, instead of standing still to recover their health.
• Golden Coffer Trap — This golden coffer also looks like a regular one, but will become a Mimic upon opening. Since Mimics can apply the Pox debuff, which causes damage over time for 10 minutes, they should be killed quickly before having a chance to apply the debuff.

Floor enchantments

There's a chance for some floors to have one or more special effects. These effects which affect the whole floor are called enchantments.

Enchantment	Description	Notes
Auto-heal Penalty	HP regeneration for all part members is disabled.	Applies to out-of-combat passive HP regeneration.
Blindness	Accuracy of all party members is reduced.	This enchantment effectively causes all attacks to miss more often.
Damage Penalty	Damage dealt by all party members is reduced.
Gloom	Enemy movement speed is increased. Enemies also deal more damage while taking less.	The environment acquires a gloomy, pink-filled mist effect.
Haste	Weaponskill recast time, spell recast time, and auto-attack delay for all party members are reduced.
HP/MP Boost	Maximum HP and MP of all party members are increased.
HP Penalty	Maximum HP of all party members is reduced.
Inability	Use of abilities is prohibited for all party members.
Item Penalty	Use of items (including pomanders) is prohibited for all party members.	Pomanders of Serenity are still usable (and remove the effect).
Knockback Penalty	Knockback and draw-in effects for both enemies and allies are disabled.	The Manticore transformation no longer one-shots enemies since that effect depends on the knockback.
Sprint Penalty	Use of the action Sprint is prohibited for all party members.

Pomanders

Pomanders are items exclusive to Palace of the Dead acquired by opening Golden Treasure Coffers. Each pomander has an effect that may change party strengths, enemies around them, or the room itself. There are three pomanders which affect the next floor: Pomander of Affluence, Pomander of Alteration, and Pomander of Flight; all other pomanders take effect immediately for the current floor. For example, Pomander of Sight immediately reveals the current floor, while Pomander of Affluence will increase the number of treasure coffers for the next floor.

Pomanders can have a maximum stack of 3 per type, any excess will be returned unless the pomander is used. All obtained and active pomanders are listed in the changed character panel.

Pomander	Description	Notes
Pomander of Affluence	Increases the number of treasure coffers on the next floor.
Pomander of Alteration	Changes the enemy occupying a random room on the next floor into a mimic or a mandragora.	Mandragoras are passive mobs that die instantly after being aggroed. Both Mimics and Mandragoras have a higher chance to drop chests.
Pomander of Flight	Decreases the number of enemies on the next floor.
Pomander of Fortune	Increases the chance enemies on the current floor will drop treasure coffers.
Pomander of Intuition	Reveals the current floor's hidden treasure.	The effect of this pomander is carried over until an Accursed Hoard is found, therefore it's not required to reactive it unless its effect is consumed.
Pomander of Lust	Transforms user into a succubus.	The Succubus transformation can cast Void Fire II, an AoE Fire spell that applies Vulnerability Up (to a max of 5 stacks).
Pomander of Purity	Removes the Pox status.	This is for the Pox debuff applied by Mimics.
Pomander of Rage	Transforms user into a manticore.	Manticore can't KO creatures when the floor has the Knockback Penalty enchantment.
Pomander of Resolution	Transforms user into Kuribu.	Appears only on level 51+. Kuribu can cast Heavenly Judgement, a placeable AoE Light spell that stuns targets and deals greatly increased damage to undead.
Pomander of Raising	Instantly raises the first party member to be KOed.
Pomander of Safety	Removes all traps from the current floor.	This pomander doesn't remove coffer traps.
Pomander of Serenity	Removes all enchantments from the current floor.
Pomander of Sight	Reveals the current floor's map and the location of all hidden traps.	While all hidden traps become visible, they can still be triggered.
Pomander of Steel	Decreases damage received by 40%.	This effect lasts for 8 minutes.
Pomander of Strength	Increases damage dealt and HP recovered via healing magic by 30%.	This effect lasts for 8 minutes.
Pomander of Witching	Transforms all targets within range into a frog, imp, or chicken.	Polymorphs all enemies within a 20 yalm radius of the user into harmless creatures for 30 seconds, though they retain their normal HP and defense values and can still autoattack. This effect generates a large amount of enmity for the user.

Note: Some pomanders won't have any effect upon using more than one, this includes Pomander of Purity, Pomander of Safety, Pomander of Serenity, Pomander of Sight, Pomander of Steel, and Pomander of Strength. The last two will only replace any applied buff.

Traps

As players progress, they will arrive on floors with traps scattered around the rooms that will be set off when walked across. These traps are invisible unless a player has a Pomander of Sight which can reveal their locations. At most one trap will spawn per room, and traps do not spawn in starting rooms.

Trap	Effect	Notes
Enfeebling Trap	Causes Enervation status.	Enervation: Decreased damage dealt and increased damage taken for 60 seconds. Cannot be Esunaed.
Impeding Trap	Causes Pacify and Silence statuses (30 seconds). Pets are also affected by this.
Land Mine	Causes approximately 80% of maximum HP damage to everything in range (including enemies) when stepped on.	This trap stays topped off between rooms.
Luring Trap	Spawns three random enemies from the floor to attack you.	All enemies will aggro on the person who stepped on the trap after a few seconds.
Toading Trap	Causes Toad status (20 seconds), effectively transforming the player into a toad.	Toad debuff decreases your maximum HP and prevents you from taking any action; this includes sending a pet to attack, and even opening treasure coffers.

Treasure coffers

Treasure coffers are special chests scattered around rooms with each floor inside Palace of the Dead. They contain varied items and each type works differently:

• Golden Coffers: These coffers yield pomanders, but may occasionally trigger a Mimic trap.
• Silver Coffers: These coffers strengthen aetherpool gear, but may occasionally trigger an explosion trap.
• Bronze Coffers: These coffers will always offer an item, including a   Max-Potion , a   Gelmorran Potsherd or a   Phoenix Down.

• 

  Golden Coffer.

• 

  Silver Coffer.

• 

  Bronze Coffer.

Accursed Hoard

While exploring the Palace of the Dead, players will, on occasion, discover hidden treasure known as the Accursed Hoard. These items are counted on the character panel as players unveil their respective treasure coffers. Since these coffers are hidden by default, players can discover them by remaining stationary for a brief period of time at various locations, or they may activate a Pomander of Intuition, which reveals them. Upon using the aforementioned pomander players will have a notification stating whether there's an Accursed Hoard in the current floor, and can then seek out a golden glowing light to reveal the coffer.

Upon saving progress and exiting the Palace of the Dead, all party members are granted the same number of Accursed Hoards which will translate into a trimmed sack item. Players can take these items to the Expedition Bishop at Quarrymill in the South Shroud (x25.1,y20.6) to have it appraised and discover what lies within.

• 

  Accursed Hoard Coffer.

• 

  A golden glowing light signals there's an Accursed Hoard Coffer at such location.

Contents

Depending on the Palace of the Dead's level, Accursed Hoards are translated into different trimmed sacks. Each sack contains varied items which range from fireworks to materia or even minions and mounts:

•   Bronze-trimmed Sacks — Floors 1-50
•   Iron-trimmed Sacks — Floors 51-100
•   Silver-trimmed Sacks — Floors 101-150
•   Gold-trimmed Sacks — Floors 151-200

Appraising these sacks at the Expedition Bishop will unveil their contents. If the outer ring flashes it will be a rare treasure, if the outer ring does not flash it will be a normal treasure.

Floors

Each floor has all mechanics mentioned before; what varies among each floor set are enemies, patrolling enemies, insta-kill enemies, enchantments, trap density and bosses. Players can also obtain better trimmed sacks at each 50 floors, as well as a guaranteed Gelmorran Potsherd from level 100 onwards.

Floors 1-10

Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Palace Sprite	1	Sound	1-3
Palace Deathmouse	2	Sight	1-4
Palace Antelope	4	Sight	1-5
Palace Bat	6	Sound	3-6
Palace Coblyn	8	Sight	4-8
Palace Hippocerf	11	Proximity	5-8
Palace Beetle	14	Sight	6-9
Palace Hornet	16	Proximity	6-9	Final Sting - high damage attack
Palace Yarzon	17	Sound	7-9

Patroling Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Palace Ziz	3	Sight	1-4
Lost Goblin	9	Sight	3-6
Palace Dung Beetle	15	Proximity	6-9

Boss

Palace Deathgaze (Level 20)

Strategy:

The boss doesn't deal a lot of damage as long as players avoid the telegraphed AoEs. The boss will fire an attack called Bombination, a point-blank AoE that will debuff anyone hit with Slow, as well as Aeroblast which will hit the entire party with an unavoidable attack. It is recommended to save a Pomander of Lust for this fight, as the Voidfire II deals heavy damage against the boss.

Floors 11-20

Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Living Whelk	18	Sight	11-13
Palace Uragnite	20	Sight	11-14
Palace Toad	22	Sight	11-15
Palace Slime	23	Sound	13-16	Explodes if not killed fast enough
Palace Ninki-Nanka	25	Sound	15-18
Palace Nanka	26	Sound	15-18
Palace Ochu	28	Proximity	16-19
Palace Seedling	29	Sound	17-19
Palace Morbol	33	Proximity	17-19

Patroling Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Palace Pudding	19	Proximity	11-13
Palace Cobra	25	Sight	14-17	If player is transformed into frog, executes move Devour, one-shotting the player
Palace Biloko	31	Sight	16-19

Boss

• Spurge (Level 35)

Strategy:

Similar to the previous boss, as long as players avoid the telegraphed AoEs, they will not take too much damage. The boss will use a telegraphed cleave called Bloody Caress that deals heavy damage. The boss will also fire an unavoidable AoE, after which the boss will summon two Palace Hornets, which will cast an unavoidable Final Sting, killing players if they aren't defeated quickly enough. The boss will also cast Rotten Stench, a long line AoE that deals heavy damage if players don't avoid it.

Floors 21-30

Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Palace Puk	33	Sight	21-23
Palace Drake	35	Sight	21-23	Gives himself 5 seconds long buff, which reflects damage back to the attacker
Palace Adamantoise	38	Sight	21-25
Palace Peiste	39	Sight	22-25
Palace Wivre	41	Proximity	23-26
Palace Spriggan	42	Sight	25-28
Palace Centuar	44	Proximity	27-29
Palace Effigy	46	Sight	26-29
Palace Marolith	47	Proximity	27-29

Patroling Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Palace Dullahan	34	Sound	23-23
Palace Minotaur	40	Sight	25-26	Non-telegraphed AoE with high damage and knockback
Palace Skatene	45	Sound	27-29	Chirp puts everyone to Sleep for 15 seconds

Boss

• Ningishzida (Level 49)

Strategy:

This boss will create lingering AoEs around the arena underneath players that deal damage and debuffs if players stand in them. It is recommended that players move to the edge of the arena to drop the first few AoEs to avoid dropping them in the center of the arena, making movement easier. The boss will jump to the center of the arena and cast Fear Itself, an attack that deals massive damage and inflicts Terror. The only safe area is in the center of the arena with the boss.

Floors 31-40

Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Nightmare Bogy	48	Sound	31-32
Nightmare Hecteyes	50	Sound	31-35
Nightmare Ogre	51	Sight	31-35
Nightmare Mummy	52	Proximity	33-35
Nightmare Eye	53	Sight	34-38
Nightmare Dahak	54	Sight	35-37
Nightmare Monk	55	Proximity	36-39
Nightmare Troubadour	56	Proximity	36-39
Nightmare Haagenti	57	Sight	37-39

Patroling Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Nightmare Succubus	52	Sight	31-33
Nightmare Catoblepas	55	Sight	35-36
Nightmare Gourmand	58	Proximity	37-39

Boss

• Ixtab

Strategy:

The boss will cast lingering AoEs under players which need to be dropped around the edges of the arena, then summon ads. The ads need to be killed, or the boss will cast Scream, hitting all players and marking them with Prey, causing the ads to target those players with Tornado, killing them. The boss will follow this up with Shadow Flare, an unavoidable room-wide AoE that deals heavy damage.

Floors 41-50

Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Nightmare Gnat	57	Sight	41-43
Nightmare Demon	58	Sight	41-43
Nightmare Gargoyle	59	Sight	41-45
Nightmare Knight	60	Proximity	42-46
Nightmare Bhoot	60	Sound	43-46
Nightmare Hellhound	60	Sight	45-48
Nightmare Persona	60	Proximity	46-49
Nightmare Bloodguard	60	Sight	46-49
Nightmare Dragon	60	Sight	47-49

Patroling Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Nightmare Manticore	60	Sight	41-43
Nightmare Wraith	60	Proximity	44-46
Nightmare Gravekeeper	60	Sound	47-49

Boss

• Edda Blackbosom

Strategy:

The boss will periodically cast In Sickness, a large AoE that players need to avoid, or In Health, a room-wide attack that has a safe spot under the boss. Getting hit by either of these will cause runes to light up on the floor, making the boss's attack Dark Harvest deal more damage. if 5 runes are lit up, the party will be wiped. The boss can also inflict Disease, and casts Cold Feet which requires players to turn away from the boss to avoid.

Floors 51-60

Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Palace Deepeye	60	Sight	51-55
Palace Gremlin	60	Sight	51-55
Palace Pudding	60	Proximity	51-53
Palace Imp	60	Sight	53-54
Palace Pot	60	Proximity	54-58
Palace Taurus	60	Sight	55-59
Palace VodOriga	60	Sight	56-59
Palace Soulflayer	60	Sight	57-59

Patroling Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Palace Anubys	60	Sight	51-53
Palace Idol	60	Proximity	54-56
Palace Arch Demon	60	Proximity	57-58

Boss

• The Black Rider

Strategy:

The boss will summon various AoEs around the edge of the arena that explode after a short while, and casts Valfodr, charging at a player and closing the gap between them. This will hit anyone between the boss and its target, dealing heavy damage. This will also cause a large knockback, trying to bump players into the exploding AoEs. The boss can also turn towards a player and cast an untelegraphed Hall of Sorrow, dropping a persisting AoE that inflicts Bleed until players step out of it.

Floors 61-70

Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Palace Tyrannosaur	60	Sight	61-64
Palace Sarcosuchus	60	Sight	61-65
Palace Raptor	60	Sight	61-63
Palace Wivre	60	Proximity	63-66
Palace Croc	60	Sight	64-68
Palace Diplocaulus	60	Proximity	65-69
Palace Triceratops	60	Proximity	66-69
Palace Pteranodon	60	Proximity	67-69

Patroling Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Palace Elbst	60	Sight	62-62
Palace Blade	60	Sight	64-66
Palace Mylodon	60	Sight	67-69

Boss

• Yaquaru

Strategy:

The boss casts Douse, a point-blank AoE That drops a puddle that buffs the boss with Haste as long as they are inside it. The boss will also inflict the main target with Heavy to make it difficult to pull the boss from the puddle. The boss will also cast Electrogenesis and Drench, two avoidable AoEs.

Floors 71-80

Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Palace Bear	60	Sight	71-75
Palace Coeurl	60	Sight	77-79
Palace Bandersnatch	60	Sight	71-74
Palace Wolf	60	Sight	71-74
Palace Dhalmel	60	Proximity	73-76
Palace Lion	60	Sight	76-79
Palace Sasquatch	60	Proximity	74-77	Buffs its damage even when not aggroed
Palace Aurochs	60	Sight	76-79

Patroling Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Palace Cyclops	60	Sight	75-76
Palace Anzu	60	Sight	71-73
Bird of the Palace	60	Proximity	77-79

Boss

• Gudanna

Strategy:

The boss will cast Charybdis, dropping a large persistent AoE that deals heavy damage and inflicts [[Windburn], a Damage over Time debuff. The boss will also cast Thunderbolt, a frontal-cone AoE that deals high damage. The boss will also leap to one of the cardinals and fire Trounce, covering a large portion of the arena in an AoE. Players will need to move to the hitbox of the boss to avoid the attack. Finally, when the boss is close to death, the boss will cast Ecliptic Meteor and needs to be defeated before the cast finishes.

Floors 81-90

Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Palace Wamouracampa	60	Sound	81-83
Palace Vinegaroon	60	Sight	81-85
Palace Bomb	60	Sight	81-84	Casts Self Destruct
Palace Gallimimus	60	Sight	83-86
Palace Dragon	60	Sight	83-89	Throws AoE even when not aggroed
Palace Worm	60	Sound	84-88
Palace Claw	60	Sight	85-89
Palace Eruca	60	Sound	86-89

Patroling Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Palace Wamoura	60	Sight	81-83
Palace Chimera	60	Proximity	82-89
Palace Hapalit	60	Proximity	84-85

Boss

• The Godmother

Strategy:

The boss will summon ads that will cause small explosions around the arena, requiring players to be careful where they are moving. The boss will also cast Sap on random players. The boss will also summon Grey Bombs that need to be defeated quickly. Finally, the boss will regularly cast Massive Burst, an attack that can take players to 1 HP and isn't affected by mitigation. This, however, can be interrupted to prevent any damage. Players can also move the Giddy Bomb into the boss's hitbox before it explodes to stun the boss and stop this attack.

Floors 91-100

Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Palace Swarm	60	Sound	91-94
Palace Mummy	60	Proximity	91-93
Palace Roselet	60	Sound	91-95
Palace Hippocerf	60	Sight	93-96
Palace Corse	60	Proximity	94-98
Dark Dragon	60	Sight	94-99	Throws AoE even when not aggroed
Palace Knight	60	Proximity	95-99
Palace Gourmand	60	Proximity	96-99

Patroling Enemies

Enemy	Level	Aggro Type	Known Floors	Notes
Palace Wraith	60	Proximity	91-93
Palace Iron Corse	60	Proximity	94-97
Palace Gravekeeper	60	Sound	97-99

Boss

• Nybeth Obdilord

Strategy:

The boss will cast Abyss on the main target, dealing heavy damage in a small AoE. It will also cast World of Pain, an unavoidable room-wide AoE. The boss casts Shackle, firing a line-AoE towards a random player. The boss can also cast Summon Darkness, summoning several adds to the fight and resurrecting any already killed. Finally, the boss will turn toward the center of the arena and cast Doom in a wide frontal-cone, killing any player hit. For this reason, pulling the boss to the center of the arena makes the attack much easier to avoid.

Kuribu's Heavenly Judgement will remove the dead adds from the ground, preventing him from rezzing them.

Floor 101-110

Enemies

• Deep Palace Hornet
• Deep Palace Ladybug
• Deep Palace Hyppogryph
• Deep Palace Dung Beetle
• Deep Palace Gaelicat
• Deep Palace Doblyn
• Deep Palace Ziz
• Deep Palace Yarzon
• Deep Palace Squirrel
• Deep Palace Stag
• Deep Palace Sprite
• Goblin Adventurer

Patrolling enemies

None.

Boss

• Alicanto

Strategy:

This boss uses the same abilities as Palace Deathgaze but hits harder and faster. The same strategies apply to this boss, however.

Floor 111-120

Enemies

• Deep Palace Leech
• Deep Palace Morbol
• Deep Palace Gigantoad
• Deep Palace Biloko
• Deep Palace Cobra
• Deep Palace Bifericeras
• Deep Palace Seedling
• Deep Palace Slime
• Deep Palace Salamander
• Deep Palace Ochu
• Deep Palace Pudding
• Deep Palace Nanka

Patrolling enemies

• Deep Palace Gigantoad
• Deep Palace Cobra

Boss

• Kirtimukha

Strategy:

This boss also uses the same mechanics as a previous floor boss, Spurge, hitting harder and faster. Rotten Stench will kill a player immediately, however. Players also need to avoid the Hornet ads that spawn as they deal massive damage as well.

Floor 121-130

Enemies

• Deep Palace Dullahan
• Deep Palace Effigy
• Deep Palace Centuar
• Deep Palace Basilisk
• Deep Palace Biast
• Deep Palace Adamantoise
• Deep Palace Urolith
• Deep Palace Wivre
• Deep Palace Spriggan
• Deep Palace Pteroc

Patrolling enemies

• Deep Palace Minotaur
• Deep Palace Skatene

Boss

• Alfard

Strategy:

The boss will follow the same pattern of casting fire and ice persisting AoEs on the floor from Ningishzida, however it will cast Fear Itself much faster and more frequently. Players will need to be ready to pull the boss to the center of the arena immediately after the second firing of the ice AoE to avoid this. It is recommended that players save Pomanders of Steel for all boss fights from here onward.

Floor 131-140

Enemies

• Deep Palace Guard
• Deep Palace Hecteyes
• Deep Palace Gourmand
• Deep Palace Catoblepas
• Deep Palace Dahak
• Deep Palace Tarus
• Deep Palace Troubadour
• Deep Palace Soul
• Deep Palace Mummy
• Deep Palace Ogre
• Deep Palace Monk

Patrolling enemies

• Deep Palace Ahriman

Boss

• Ah Puch

Strategy:

The boss will repeatedly drop shadowy AoE puddles on the floor, summon ads that need to be defeated quickly before the boss debuffs the players with Terror and the ads cast Tornado. The boss will always follow Scream with Shadow Flare. It is recommended that players save a Pomander of Resolution, as the Heavenly Judgement spell deals massive damage to this boss.

Floor 141-150

Enemies

• Deep Palace Ked
• Deep Palace Hellhound
• Deep Palace Gargoyle
• Deep Palace Bhoot
• Deep Palace Demon
• Deep Palace Succubus
• Deep Palace Manticore
• Deep Palace Persona
• Deep Palace Knight
• Onyx Dragon

Patrolling enemies

• Deep Palace Manticore
• Deep Palace Wraith
• Deep Palace Keeper

Boss

• Tisiphone

Strategy:

This boss will cast several telegraphed AoE attacks that are easy to avoid, while summoning Fanatic Gargoyles that will fire line AoEs in the direction they are facing. However, the boss will also say "Darkness, to me!", summoning four Fanatic Zombies that slowly move towards players. These zombies will pin a player to where they are standing until they are defeated. The boss will also summon a Fanatic Succubus, which will begin attacking players with auto-attacks and cleaves. This needs to be defeated quickly, otherwise the boss will eventually consume it, restoring its HP equal to the HP of the ad. Once the ad is consumed, the boss will cast Blood Rain, a room-wide attack that deals heavy damage.

Floor 151-160

Enemies

• Deep Palace Gremlin
• Deep Palace Devilet
• Deep Palace Deepeye
• Deep Palace Abaia
• Deep Palace Soulflayer
• Deep Palace Pudding
• Deep Palace Shabti
• Deep Palace Pot
• Deep Palace Taurus

Patrolling enemies

• Deep Palace Marolith
• Deep Palace Arch Demon

Boss

• Totesritter

Strategy:

The boss uses the same mechanics as the boss from floor 60, The Black Rider. This boss however deals massive damage for every attack that connects. The boss can inflict Bleed on players if they step into the puddles from Hail of Sorrow, which deal heavy damage per tick.

Floor 161-170

Enemies

• Deep Palace Mylodon
• Deep Palace Pteranodon
• Deep Palace Lindwurm
• Deep Palace Croc
• Deep Palace Diplocaulus
• Deep Palace Archaeosaur
• Deep Palace Wivre
• Deep Palace Vinegaroon
• Deep Palace Triceratops
• Deep Palace Tursus
• Deep Palace Sarcosuchus

Patrolling enemies

None.

Boss

• Yulunggu

Strategy:

This boss is the same as Yaquaru mechanically, however the boss hits much harder, and staying in its Douse puddle will buff it with a stacking Haste as well as a Damage Up. It will cast Douse much more frequently, and these puddles will persist much longer. It is recommended to slowly move the boss around the edge of the arena to drop the puddles out of the way.

Floor 171-180

Enemies

• Deep Palace Bear
• Deep Palace Black Coeurl
• Deep Palace Bandersnatch
• Deep Palace Anzu
• Deep Palace Dhalmel
• Deep Palace Lion
• Deep Palace Wolf
• Deep Palace Sasquatch
• Bird of the Deep Palace

Patrolling enemies

• Deep Palace Wisent
• Deep Palace Snowclops

Boss

• Dendainsonne

Strategy:

This boss is similar to the boss from floor 80, however its mechanics have changed slightly and its attacks hit much harder:

• Charybdis fires twice in a row and will most likely kill a player if hit.
• Trounce will also kill a player if hit, and the boss only uses this attack from the north and south of the arena.
• Once the boss reaches 15% HP, the boss will repeatedly cast Ecliptic Meteor, dealing massive damage every 9-10 seconds.

Floor 181-190

Enemies

• Deep Palace Grenade
• Deep Palace Sprite
• Deep Palace Claw
• Deep Palace Crawler
• Deep Palace Archaeosaur
• Deep Palace Worm
• Deep Palace Wamoura
• Deep Palace Wamouracampa
• Deep Palace Vindthurs
• Flood Dragon

Patrolling enemies

• Deep Palace Garm

Boss

• The Godfather

Strategy

This boss is similar to The Godmother, however the bombs that explode, as well as the boss's Sap ability will debuff a player with Deep Freeze, immobilizing the player and dealing massive damage. The boss has a frontal cleave, Scalding Scolding, which hits for heavy damage that will most likely kill a player if hit.

Floor 191-200

Enemies

• Deep Palace Iron Corse
• Deep Palace Keeper
• Deep Palace Hippogryph
• Deep Palace Gourmand
• Deep Palace Bicephalus
• Deep Palace Wraith
• Deep Palace Mummy
• Deep Palace Trap
• Deep Palace Knight
• Onyx Dragon

Patrolling enemies

• Deep Palace Fachan

Boss

None.

Rewards

Floor 10

Under Level 50

• EXP
•  1,000 Gil

Level 50-89

• EXP
•  1,000 Gil
•  10 Poetics

Level 90

• EXP
•  1,000 Gil
•  10 Poetics
• 20 Allagan Tomestones (Uncapped type)
• 10 Allagan Tomestones (Weekly capped type)

Floor 20

Under Level 50

• EXP
•  1,500 Gil

Level 50-89

• EXP
•  1,500 Gil
•  20 Poetics

Level 90

• EXP
•  1,500 Gil
•  20 Poetics
• 40 Allagan Tomestones (Uncapped type)
• 20 Allagan Tomestones (Weekly capped type)

Floor 30

Under Level 50

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil

Level 50-89

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil
•  30 Poetics

Level 90

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil
•  30 Poetics
• 60 Allagan Tomestones (Uncapped type)
• 30 Allagan Tomestones (Weekly capped type)

Floor 40

Under Level 50

• EXP
•  3,000 Gil

Level 50-89

• EXP
•  3,000 Gil
•  50 Poetics

Level 90

• EXP
•  3,000 Gil
•  30 Poetics
• 60 Allagan Tomestones (Uncapped type)
• 30 Allagan Tomestones (Weekly capped type)

Floor 50

Under Level 50

• EXP
•  3,000 Gil

Level 50-89

• EXP
•  3,000 Gil
•  50 Poetics

Level 90

• EXP
•  3,000 Gil
•  50 Poetics
• 100 Allagan Tomestones (Uncapped type)
• 50 Allagan Tomestones (Weekly capped type)

Floor 60

Under Level 50

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil

Level 50-89

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil
•  30 Poetics

Level 90

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil
•  30 Poetics
• 60 Allagan Tomestones (Uncapped type)
• 30 Allagan Tomestones (Weekly capped type)

Floor 70

Under Level 50

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil

Level 50-89

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil
•  30 Poetics

Level 90

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil
•  30 Poetics
• 60 Allagan Tomestones (Uncapped type)
• 30 Allagan Tomestones (Weekly capped type)

Floor 80

Under Level 50

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil

Level 50-89

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil
•  30 Poetics

Level 90

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil
•  30 Poetics
• 60 Allagan Tomestones (Uncapped type)
• 30 Allagan Tomestones (Weekly capped type)

Floor 90

Under Level 50

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil

Level 50-89

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil
•  30 Poetics

Level 90

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil
•  30 Poetics
• 60 Allagan Tomestones (Uncapped type)
• 30 Allagan Tomestones (Weekly capped type)

Floor 100

Under Level 50

• EXP
•  3,000 Gil

Level 50-89

• EXP
•  3,000 Gil
•  50 Poetics

Level 90

• EXP
•  3,000 Gil
•  50 Poetics
• 100 Allagan Tomestones (Uncapped type)
• 50 Allagan Tomestones (Weekly capped type)

Floor 110 and Onwards

Under Level 50

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil

Level 50-89

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil
•  30 Poetics

Level 90

• EXP
•  2,000 Gil
•  30 Poetics
• 60 Allagan Tomestones (Uncapped type)
• 30 Allagan Tomestones (Weekly capped type)

If you have reached floor 50 or 100

A   Gelmorran Potsherd will be awarded. This item can be traded to the NPC E-Una-Kotor in the South Shroud at Quarrymill.

Aetherpool weapons

300px

If you have strengthened your aetherpool arm and aetherpool armor to +10 in addition to clearing floor 50 of the Palace of the Dead, you can receive an   Aetherpool Grip, which can be used to exchange for a weapon of your choosing by speaking with the NPC E-Una-Kotor in the South Shroud. Please note that by receiving an aetherpool grip, the strength of your aetherpool arm and armor used in the Palace of the Dead will be reduced by 10.

See also: Padjali Weapons and Kinna Weapons

Tips and tricks

The tips and tricks below have been collected from players and are intended to make Palace of the Dead runs safer and more productive:

• Try and stay close to your group to avoid being wiped alone.
• When crossing rooms, walk closer to walls as there is less chance for traps near walls.
• When luring an instant-kill creature, kill it as soon as possible to prevent the party or party members from wiping.
• Save pomanders instead of using them in any situation, unless your party is capped at three pomanders. Some guidelines are as following:
  • Pomander of Witching: Use when a lure trap is triggered or there's a filled room your party has to cross.
  • Pomander of Rage: Use when approaching second-to-last or last floors before boss.
  • Pomander of Lust: Use in the boss floor to lower a boss' defense. One person is enough.
• Don't bother with Silver Chests if everybody in the party has +99/+99 Aetherpool Gear as these chests may trigger a bomb.
• Avoid opening Silver Chests when either you or a nearby party member is below 80% Max HP, as that person will die.
• Healers are advised to aid a member suffering from Pox by casting a regen on them if possible.

Notes

•  Heaven-on-High is the second deep dungeon introduced with Stormblood. It shares almost all rules with Palace of the Dead with a few exceptions.

Achievements

The Palace of the Dead is associated with the following achievements:

Name	Points	Task	Reward	Patch
In Too Deep I	5	Clear the 10th floor of the Palace of the Dead.	-	3.35
In Too Deep II	5	Clear the 20th floor of the Palace of the Dead.	-	3.35
In Too Deep III	5	Clear the 30th floor of the Palace of the Dead.	-	3.35
In Too Deep IV	5	Clear the 40th floor of the Palace of the Dead.	-	3.35
In Too Deep V	10	Clear the 50th floor of the Palace of the Dead.	-	3.35
In Too Deep VI	10	Clear the 100th floor of the Palace of the Dead.	Hero of Gelmorra	3.45
In Too Deep VII	10	Clear the 150th floor of the Palace of the Dead.	-	3.45
In Too Deep VIII	20	Clear the 200th floor of the Palace of the Dead.	-	3.45
Pal-less Palace I	10	Clear the 1st through the 50th floors of the Palace of the Dead solo and record a score on floor 51 or below.	-	3.45
Pal-less Palace II	10	Clear the 1st through the 100th floors of the Palace of the Dead solo and record a score on floor 101 or below.	Lonely Explorer	3.45
Pal-less Palace III	20	Clear the 1st through the 200th floors of the Palace of the Dead solo.	The Necromancer	4.0
For the Hoard I	5	Discover a piece of the Accursed Hoard.	-	3.4
For the Hoard II	5	Discover 100 pieces of the Accursed Hoard.	-	3.4
For the Hoard III	10	Discover 1,000 pieces of the Accursed Hoard.	The Lucky	3.4
For the Hoard IV	20	Discover 5,000 pieces of the Accursed Hoard.	-	3.4
For the Hoard V	20	Discover 10,000 pieces of the Accursed Hoard.	Hoarder	4.35
The Trouble with Buried I	10	Discover a piece of the Accursed Hoard without using a pomander of intuition.	-	3.4
The Trouble with Buried II	20	Discover 100 pieces of the Accursed Hoard without using a pomander of intuition.	Of the Sixth Sense	3.4
Aetherpool Party: Sword & Shield	10	Obtain a Padjali blade and a Padjali shield.	-	3.35
Aetherpool Party: Knuckles	10	Obtain a pair of Padjali knuckles.	-	3.35
Aetherpool Party: Axe	10	Obtain a Padjali axe.	-	3.35
Aetherpool Party: Spear	10	Obtain a Padjali spear.	-	3.35
Aetherpool Party: Bow	10	Obtain a Padjali longbow.	-	3.35
Aetherpool Party: Daggers	10	Obtain a pair of Padjali daggers.	-	3.35
Aetherpool Party: Cane	10	Obtain a Padjali cane.	-	3.35
Aetherpool Party: Rod	10	Obtain a Padjali rod.	-	3.35
Aetherpool Party: Grimoire	10	Obtain a Padjali grimoire.	-	3.35
Aetherpool Party: Codex	10	Obtain a Padjali codex.	-	3.35
Aetherpool Party: Greatsword	10	Obtain a Padjali greatsword.	-	3.35
Aetherpool Party: Revolver	10	Obtain a Padjali revolver.	-	3.35
Aetherpool Party: Astrometer	10	Obtain a Padjali astrometer.	-	3.35
Aetherpool Party: Katana	10	Obtain a Padjali katana.	-	4.0
Aetherpool Party: Rapier	10	Obtain a Padjali rapier.	-	4.0
Aetherpool Party: Gunblade	10	Obtain a Padjali gunblade.	-	5.0
Aetherpool Party: War Quoits	10	Obtain a pair of Padjali war quoits.	-	5.0
Aetherpool Party: War Scythe	10	Obtain a Padjali war scythe.	-	6.0
Aetherpool Party: Milpreves	10	Obtain an array of Padjali milpreves.	-	6.0
Some Kinna Wonderful	10	Obtain a piece of kinna gear.	Lightbringer	3.45

References

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Dungeons

Duties