Steel against Steel
Steel against Steel
- Quest giver
- Sophie
- Location
- Foundation (X:12.3, Y:11.4)
- Job
- Gunbreaker
- Level
- 70
- Experience
216,000- Gil
1,186- Previous quest
Of Defectors and Defenders- Next quest
Gunblades of the Patriots- Patch
- 5.0
“— In-game description
Rewards
- Unlocks
Steps
- Speak with Sophie.
- Speak with the prospective client in Twinpools.
- Speak with the prospective client in Twinpools.
- Speak with Cato Mammula in Ishgard.
- Speak with Radovan in Revenant's Toll.
- Defeat Vitus quo Messalla!
Journal
- Sophie is beginning to wonder if Radovan will ever return.
- Following Radovan's disappearance, you and Sophie have decided to wait for him to make his way back to Ishgard of his own accord. Thankfully, the danger that faced Cato Mammula appears to have passed, as the Alaudae have not been seen since, although the defector from Garlemald remains in hiding. Meanwhile, Sophie has grown restless, so she suggests asking the Temple Knights if they have any assignments to keep her occupied.
- In the time it has taken you to arrive, Sophie has already spoken to the Temple Knights regarding work for bodyguards, even going so far as accepting an assignment. An anonymous client is waiting for you in a remote part of western Coerthas, though you will have to meet them in person to learn what the job entails.
- You are soon made to regret meeting the mysterious client in the middle of nowhere when it turns out to be a trap laid by the leader of the Alaudae, Vitus quo Messalla. He has abandoned his mission to assassinate Cato Mammula for a greater prize: your head. The former pilus prior seeks to curry favor with the Emperor by killing the bane of Garlemald and thereby reclaim his place among the elite. Vitus's magitek restraints have rendered you and Sophie utterly defenseless, and when he charges to deliver the killing blow, you are only saved at the last moment by the surprise arrival of Radovan, who parries with his gunblade before freeing you. When the Alaudae are ordered to attack, Radovan produces a small device supplied by Cato Mammula and uses it to activate the magitek collars fitted to the prisoners turned soldiers, temporarily paralyzing them. Vitus responds by slaying his own men, and prepares to face the three of you alone. Despite being outnumbered, the master of the Garlean gunblade pushes your party to the brink of defeat, and after Radovan and Sophie exhaust their aether reserves to create a life-saving barrier, you are finally able to best Vitus in single combat.
- After a hard-fought battle, Radovan reveals that ever since his departure during your last assignment he had been tracking the Alaudae. Once he had discovered that they were pursuing you, the Warrior of Light, Radovan sought out their original target, Cato Mammula, and asked him to create a device that could activate the magitek collars. The two seem to have put aside their differences and reached an understanding, a stark contrast to the incident in which Radovan threatened to kill Mammula. Your mentor reveals that he never had any intention of physically harming the engineer, but went too far in his intimidation. However, it was at that moment he noticed the Alaudae were watching from afar and seized the opportunity to give the impression he had parted ways with you and Sophie. He remained out of sight but close by, monitoring their movements and discovering Vitus's plan to lure you into a trap. Now that the Alaudae have been eliminated, you return to Ishgard to share the day's events with Mammula, whose life is no longer in danger.
- Cato is delighted to hear that he can now begin work on the ceruleum heating system he has promised to build with Garlond Ironworks, and offers his gratitude to the party, including Radovan. Now that the mission can be considered a success, Radovan acknowledges that the time for you to accompany him and Sophie on bodyguard assignments is over. While they are grateful for all you have done, they recognize that there are others who would benefit from your strength and guidance. However, they wish to make one more journey with you─this time to Revenant's Toll, where Radovan hopes to find others with whom to share the art of the gunblade.
- Radovan and Sophie are pleased by the warm and lively atmosphere of Revenant's Toll, and are eager to settle into their new surroundings. With the vast number of adventurers passing through its gates, this seems like the ideal place for Radovan to find candidates to be trained as gunbreakers. Having proven yourself a worthy successor to the legacy of his clan, Radovan bids you farewell as you set out to follow your own path, gunblade at the ready.
Walkthrough
Defeat Vitus quo Messalla. Not a hard fight. When he casts order, don't stand in front of the white X-marks; they will have a line aoe after the cast. At 50% you are stunned and your helpers leave the field; though you will still continue to receive heals from Sophie. When he teleports to the edge of the arena and begins a wide aoe, use Rough Divide to close the gap.