A guide to the first trial (level 83) in the Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker main scenario, The Dark Inside.

How to Unlock

The Dark Inside, an 8-player trial, is unlocked by the level 83 Main Scenario Quest The Martyr.

Requirements

The Dark Inside trial is unlocked by a level 83 Main Scenario Quest in the Endwalker expansion.

First Phase

The boss will cast Kokytos, which will reduce all party members' health to 1, so healers should heal the party before the next attacks.

The boss will cast Exoterikos, creating a beam of darkness that points to a side of the platform. Look to where the beam of darkness is pointing to see a portal:

• If the portal has a purple triangle, the portal will create a cone attack marker that extends from the portal all the way across the platform. Stay near the same side as the portal, without being directly in front of the portal.
• If the portal has a red square, the portal will create an attack marker that hits the same half of the platform that the portal is on. For example, a portal on the west with a red square in it will create an attack marker that hits the west half of the platform. Go to the half of the platform that is farthest away from the portal.

The boss will cast Ania, a powerful attack targeting the player who is at the top of the enmity list.

The boss then casts Exoterikos again, this time with the other shape. See above for an explanation of the Exoterikos shapes.

The boss will cast Paradeigma, which will either summon two behemoths or two serpents:

• The behemoths will each create large circle attack markers around themselves that cover the squares that they are standing on, and part of the neighboring squares. Keep your distance from both behemoths to avoid the attack.
• The serpents will create line attack markers in front of themselves across the platform. To avoid the attack, don't be in front of the serpents.

The boss will cast Phlegethon, which creates circle attack markers under party members. Move away from the attack markers, and away from other party members, because more circle attack markers will appear under party members for a few moments.

The boss casts Styx, which places a large stack marker on a party member. All other members of the party need to stand in the stack marker with the marked player, and stay there as the attack hits several times.

The boss will create an Exoterikos portal and also summon Paradeigma behemoths or serpents at the same time. You will need to avoid the area that the portal will hit, as well as the areas that the summoned monsters will hit. See above for an explanation of the Exoterikos shapes and an explanation of the Paradeigma summons.

The boss will then cast Complete Control, which is followed by a cutscene, leading to the second phase of the battle.

Second Phase

The boss will cast Paradeigma, summoning behemoths, but will also cast a new spell, Astral Flow, which makes rotating arrows appear around the platform. This will cause you to be held in place while the platform rotates a quarter of a turn under you (90°) in the direction of the arrows. To avoid this attack, remember that you will not move; the platform will. For example, if the northeast corner of the platform is safe, and the arrows are rotating clockwise, then after it rotates, the southeast corner of the platform will be safe.

The boss will cast Adikia, which creates two very large circle attack markers on the west and east side of the platform. To avoid the attack, stay near the center of the north or south edge of the platform.

After another cast of Phlegethon (with multiple circle attack markers under party members for a few moments), the boss casts Triple Esoteric Ray. Three green portals appear along the north edge of the platform, but one or two of them appear earlier. The portals will create line attack markers in front of them from north to south. To avoid the attack, stand where there is not a portal when the first one or two appear, then after those line attacks hit, move to where they were, to avoid the remaining portal(s).

The boss casts Algedon and moves to a corner. The boss will create a very large diagonal line attack marker that extends from the boss's corner to the opposite corner. To avoid the attack, go to one of the corners that the boss is not facing.

The boss will summon serpents and prepare to rotate the platform. Remember that you will not move; the platform will. One of the outer edges of the platform will be safe, and you may find it easiest to go to where that outer edge will rotate. For example, if the east edge of the platform is safe, and the arrows are rotating counter-clockwise, then after it rotates, the north edge of the platform will be safe.

The boss will cast Astral Eclipse, and the boss will move around the platform, creating arrows that point from an outer edge to the center of the platform. Look to the origin of where the arrows are pointing from to see constellations. The constellations appear in the air where the boss is moving. There will be three constellations in all, so be sure to look to each side that the arrows are pointing from. The stars in each constellation show where circle attacks will hit the platform, one constellation after the other, starting with the first constellation, followed soon after by the second constellation, then the third. The attacks will hit as if the stars have fallen onto the platform from the direction that the arrow was pointing, so the attack pattern will be upside-down from how it appeared in the sky. Make sure to quickly look at and remember all three constellations and stand in the safe spots.

After combining some of the attacks that you have seen before, the boss will cast Trimorphos Exoterikos, creating three Exoterikos portals along the edges. Remember that a triangle in a portal indicates that it will create a cone attack, and a square in a portal indicates that it will hit the half of the platform near the portal. The portals will attack one after the other, in the order that they appeared.

Continue avoiding attacks and watching out for combined attacks until you defeat the boss.

Completing the Quest

Defeating the boss will complete one of the quest objectives for the Main Scenario Quest The Martyr.